


His name was Yuuri

by aim7art



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Adventure, Death, Demons, Fantasy, Georgi is still a drama queen, Gore, Horror, LGBTQ Character, M/M, Salty Yurio is salty, Violence, alternative universe, lgbtq relationships, minor mention of self harm, suicide warning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-24
Updated: 2017-05-30
Packaged: 2018-10-23 12:06:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 25,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10719030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aim7art/pseuds/aim7art
Summary: During their summer vacation, Viktor, and a bunch of his friends, visit a village where they hear the legend of a local demon. This demon is said to be a horrifying child, eating and torturing humans and wildlife, but has not been seen in over 120 years. Unable to resist a good ghost story, Viktor is dragged off to the caves to hunt for this elusive demon. What they end up finding, however, is worst than they could imagine, yet Viktor cannot help but feel there is more to this beautiful, horrifying man, who attacks them with such a lonely gaze in his eyes.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> ~Yay for dark YOI stories~  
> I'm not 100% sure how long this will be yet, hopefully not too long. 
> 
> WARNING - there is potential for graphic depictions of violence, or aftermath of violence, in almost every chapter, not all of them, but still, it's spread throughout the story, so I don't want anyone to be surprised. I will place a warning above any chapter that contains mentions of self harm; I plan on keeping that a very mild addition, however.
> 
> Feel free to let me know what you think!

The once darkened cave was now lit; ghosted shadows of light angled against rocky walls from broken and abandoned lanterns, illuminating the blood bath before him.

Breathing heavily, the raven haired boy wobbled back and forth as he stood before the carnage he had bestowed upon the once untouched cave. 

Broken bones, fractured skulls, mouths left gaping wide, blood pooled and dripping off the walls, organs spilling over stone…the boy gazed over it all with unfocused eyes.  Slowly he ran a finger across his lip, tasting the quickly chilling blood that covered his hands, oozed from under fingernails.

“Ha…haha…”

He stumbled back, a surge of fatigue rushing through his body.  His foot squelched through a broken chest cavity and he fell, landing in a pool of blood.  The shock jerked him back to a state of normality.  His breathing quickened as his mind started to make sense of what he was seeing, of what he had done, with his own hands.

“N-no…”

Hyperventilating, the young boy crawled backwards, trying to put as much distance between himself and the death he was responsible for. Familiar faces gazed back at him with deadened eyes, accusing him, blaming him for their inability to ever return home to family and friends.

A quiet keening quickly turned into a loud wail that echoed off the cave’s walls.  It took a second for him to even realize it was his own voice that was bouncing back at him, and, once the realization hit, the sobs started. 

He could not go back. Not after having done all this. No one wanted him there, in the village, anyway – the freak, the _monster_. That was what had led to this…disaster.

What would his family think?  Would they think him dead?  Would his sister miss him, like she always did when they were apart for too long?

The faces were still watching him. He forced his body to turn away, facing the darkened back of the cave. How far did it go? Could he hide there until it was safe to escape, until he was forgotten about? How long would that take?

His body hurt, his heart was still pounding in his tiny chest, and every so often he shivered, his mind trying to erase the sights behind him from his memory – a process that would, most likely, never complete.

Scared of his future, he had no other choice. The far reaches of the cave, unlit by the lanterns behind him, swallowed him in inky blackness, erasing Yuuri Katsuki from memory into legend.


	2. Legend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viktor and his friends arrive in Hasetsu village for their summer vacation. There they meet an enthusiastic journalist and his much quieter partner in crime, who end up telling Viktor about the legend of Hasetsu.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maybe not as dark and exciting as the first chapter, but we gotta work to get to the good parts! This was my first time writing a lot of these characters...I hope I can do them some justice as we continue on. I'm sad Minami won't be in this one, cause I love writing him, but ah well. It would have been too much to include everyone.
> 
> Let me know what you think!! I appreciate it! :)   
> Feel free to follow my Minami rp twitter account: @katsuki1fan - I'll also periodically post updates for this on there, since it's YOI related. ^^

“Nooooooo!!” Georgi’s overly dramatic whining was driving Yuri Plisetsky up the bus wall.  “THEY WENT TO THE BEACH!!! Look at that bikin-OOF!” A cat head shaped pillow hit Georgi on the side of the head.

“FUCK OFF, DAMN IT.” Yuri skulked from three seats behind the whimpering Russian.

His seat partner was too busy staring out the window with one ear bud in, the other stretched over to Yuri’s left ear. How was Yuri supposed to enjoy Otabek’s new remixes when all he could hear was Georgi whining over his ex?

“ _But_ …”

“It’s okay, Georgi.”  Mila picked up the cat pillow, throwing it back at Yuri with a frown. “I’m sure there will be cute locals at the village who will love a kind hearted fellow like you. Yuri, shut the hell up, Viktor’s trying to sleep.”

Yuri honestly did not care who was trying to sleep.  Sure their flight had been a long one, and Yuri had no clue why the hell they had to go all the way to Japan for a vacation, but that did not mean he had to be sensitive to his cousin’s sleep cycle.

Still, it was thanks to Viktor that he and Otabek could even come along on this vacation.  Viktor had easily agreed to Otabek joining them, having been so excited his rough cousin actually had a real friend now.  And Yuri’s grandfather had agreed to let him go, only because he assumed Viktor was old enough – at 27 – to be responsible in looking after his 16 year old grandson.  Viktor…responsible? Yuri had to laugh when he heard that – the guy could not even cook for himself without nearly setting his apartment on fire; he took better care of Makkachin than he did himself. It was pathetic.

Yuri had not been expecting the group they were vacationing with to be so many.  It was not too surprising that Georgi and Mila were along – they all lived around the same area and had been friends for ages with Viktor. 

Sara Crispino was Mila’s long distance girlfriend, so it made sense for her to come along, and that clingy brother of hers – Michele – always had to be near her; which was probably why Emil was along then, since he was Michele’s boyfriend.  Toss in Otabek and that made nine.

They had all been stuffed on this tiny, ugly green bus for over an hour now, and, to Yuri, it was too confined for comfort.  He could hear all of Georgi’s whining, Viktor’s light snoring, and he was fairly certain Michele and Emil were huddled down, making out in the back, but Yuri was too scared to turn around and see.  At least he had Otabek to keep him company.  The guy might not speak often, but they understood one another exceptionally well; Yuri rarely felt as comfortable with anyone as he did around Otabek. Sometimes, when they were spending time alone together, he felt weird, and it was not a feeling he completely understood; he also caught Otabek staring at him occasionally for some unknown reason.  Dude was an oddball.

 

* * *

 

Thankfully, Viktor managed to sleep all the way to the village, only to wake when Yuri knocked him on the head.  “We’re here, idiot. Get up.”

Yuri ignored his cousin’s ridiculous sobbing and hopped off the bus, followed by his silent friend. The village was supposedly ancient, having been renovated through the years to become quite the cozy vacationing spot, probably helped the locals out too.

Still, it was eerily quiet right outside the village, in the area surrounding the bus stop.  Yuri hated feeling uncomfortable. He glared at the trees around them, only semi curious as to what lived in those woods.

“Spooky much?” Sara peeked around his shoulder, popping her bubblegum as she did so.

Yuri jumped, grumbling for being startled. “Get that shit in my hair and I swear to god-“

“Are you threatening my sister?” Michele’s eye twitched.

“Emil, get your boyfriend’s complex under control, or you may lose him-“ Yuri threw a fit as he was dragged off by the ear by Viktor.

“Hooray! What a wonderful location!” Viktor cheerfully hummed, looking about as they grabbed their bags and headed down the dirt road that led into the village. “I knew some place rustic like this would be relaxing!”

 _More like a good place for a murder mystery._ Yuri thought. Why the hell did Viktor choose a place like this, when they could have gone to the beach instead to watch Georgi chase after his bikini-clad ex? Would have been great for a laugh at least.

Unlike the bus stop, the village itself was showing plenty of signs of life. Locals waved, perfectly fine with helping direct them to the only hotel in the area. There were around a dozen homes around the center of the village, intermingled with shops of various sorts. A fewer homes were visible somewhat behind the center, and there appeared to be one even further away, but not much detail could be seen from where they were.

The hotel fit in with the rest of the village’s aesthetics, built from wood and brick. There appeared to only be two floors, with a small porch built to wrap around the second floor to overlook the village center.  A well maintained garden claimed the front of the hotel, pretty summer flowers lining the walk leading up to the front entrance.

As they walked up to it, they spotted two young gentlemen standing outside.  The one was merely standing about watching the other, a tan skinned fellow who seemed to be bouncing about everywhere with a phone, taking pictures.

The group was spotted fairly quickly by the more active fellow, whose eyes widened and he quickly took a picture of them.

“Hey! Don’t go taking pictures of just anyone, weirdo!” Yuri yelled at him.

“Sorry! Sorry!” The guy laughed, shrugging. “Who knew there would be more foreigners here this weekend!! Are you guys here for the legend too?!”

“The what?” Emil questioned, looking curious.

The more talkative of the two sighed, looking relieved. “Phew! I was scared you guys were here to steal our big break!” He offered his hand out to whoever – Viktor was kind enough to take it. “Phichit Chulanont, and this here is Lee Seung Gil.” The fellow behind Phichit just nodded, looking disinterested in their conversation. “I’m doing a report on the legend of Hasetsu village! Lee is helping me out with the writing part. If you guys are staying here, like we are, we should all have dinner together tonight!!”

“Then you can tell us about the legend!” Viktor grinned, looking as curious about it as Emil had. “For now, we’ll let you two get back to work. It’s been a long trip, so we’re going to go get settled.”

They said farewell before heading inside the hotel to check in, finally dropping their bags off in their rooms.  They had decided to split the rooms between girls and boys, which was acceptable for Sara and Mila, but the guys had to split in groups of three.  Yuri threatened to shave Viktor’s head in his sleep if he forced him into a room with Georgi, so, in the end, Viktor, Otabek and Yuri took one room, while Georgi, Emil and Michele took the other.

 

* * *

 

Viktor was sort of glad once Yuri dragged Otabek off to explore the hotel, leaving him to himself in the quiet, comfortingly decorated hotel room.  It was weird being somewhere without Makkachin along, especially for more than a few days, but he knew his sweet poodle was probably enjoying a cozy weekend at Yuri’s grandfather’s home.

Indeed this was a strange place for their group to spend a summer vacation, and Viktor honestly did not know 100% why he picked it.  Summers were an especially lonely time for him, when everyone was away on trips or spending time with significant others and he had to see all the pictures on Instagram or Facebook. So he had decided to gather up some of his good friends and head somewhere he picked slightly at random, somewhere quiet yet still held room for adventure.

Hasetsu village was one of the oldest villages in Japan, hundreds of years old. It had grown in time, developing over the changing years, yet still retained that old charm.  A lot of history was attached to Hasetsu, and it was home to one of the oldest shrines in the country.  Viktor was planning on visiting the shrine at some point over their stay.

The one unforeseen problem Viktor was experiencing now was the fact that almost everyone in their group was a couple.  Georgi and Viktor, himself, were both single, but everyone else was with their significant other.  Well, Yuri and Otabek were not an official couple, but Viktor secretly liked to assume they were, especially when he saw how the two would look at one another when they thought the other was not paying attention.  Viktor had been with someone two years prior, but Chris was too much of a wild animal to be contained, and Viktor had not been getting what he needed out of the relationship, though the intimacy had been fine enough.

Now here he was, heading out to find his friends, and most of them had ventured off in pairs. Rude. Well, he had Georgi at least…oh, nope, he could hear the other Russian complaining to himself in his room over Anya again. They really needed to find Georgi someone new.

Deciding to venture forth by himself, Viktor headed back downstairs and out of the hotel. He spotted Phichit taking pictures of the nearby fountain.  What did a fountain have to do with their report? Curious, he headed over to find out.

“Hey, Phitchit…any luck on your legend search?”

Phichit turned around like a whirlwind, snapping a picture of Viktor’s startled face. “Nothing yet!! Besides, it’s the woods we need to venture into for the real gold!”

“Gold?” Viktor tilted his head, confused.

“Not actual gold, just the possibility of spotting the legendary DEMON!”

Lee held a hand out, motioning for Phichit to shush a little. “Phichit…the locals…”

“Oh,” Phichit looked around, “right! Oops. I get excited sometimes…anyway,” he focused back on Viktor, “I really love supernatural things, and I think if I can get a great story on this, mostly, forgotten legend, it will really boost my presence in the field!”

Viktor nodded, not really feeling the excitement, himself, but agreeing that it would most likely do Phichit some good to share all he could find on whatever this ‘legend’ was. “So, what _is_ the legend of Hasetsu?”

Phichit’s eyes lit up and he looked about again, before grabbing Lee’s hand and motioning for Viktor to follow him.  Not really the answer he wanted, but after Lee’s response earlier, maybe it was better to discuss this topic out of earshot.

They took a turn behind some shops, heading in the direction of the house located furthest from the village. It was the house Viktor’s group had noticed earlier, close enough to see, but far enough to not make out much detail besides its old wooden frame.

“Ta-da!” Phichit stopped them in front of the house, practically tearing Lee’s arm off as he lifted both of his own in excitement. “Oops again, sorry dear!”

Upon closer inspection, Viktor could see the house was ancient.  Almost the entirety of the second floor had collapsed inward upon itself, but maybe the sign outside the front stating to ‘stay out’ kept enough people from disturbing the old structure’s first floor, which was still standing.  The front door showed signs of burn damage, which was odd considering the rest of the outside looked untouched from flame. Besides the noticeable flame damage on the front door, there was nothing particularly special looking about the house. What kind of legend could be attached to such a place?

“The Katsuki House.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Viktor glanced over at Lee, who was watching him. Lee did not look like he cared to repeat himself, so the Russian glanced over at Phichit who was bouncing about on his feet.

“The Katsuki House!” Phichit squeaked, hurriedly taking pictures with the fancier camera he had pulled from his bag. “It’s been abandoned for about 120 years now, but has stood here for longer than that, according to the hotel owner. It’s difficult to get information from these locals, like pulling teeth, but sometimes we get good stuff if we ask the right questions.”

It felt kind of uncomfortable standing in front of the house, like they were being watched, but Viktor shook it off. “So what happened here?”

“Well, it’s not what happened here exactly, but the caves further back in the woods behind the house.” Phichit explained. “The Katsuki family lived in this house for generations. They were a reclusive family, though still kind enough to villagers. The legend goes that about 120 years ago, from this year anyway, the young son of the Katsuki family – Yuuri Katsuki – either became possessed by a demon, or was actually part demon, something like that,” he waved a hand dismissively, “and started killing off livestock, wild animals, even a few of the villagers. Hasetsu had always been a peaceful village, and they had their shrine they prayed to, to protect them from evils and disasters of any sort. So, when this all started happening and the villagers caught the culprit, they quickly hunted the boy out as a demon, chasing him all the way to the caves. That’s where…well, he eviscerated them.”

“I’m sorry, again…but ‘ _eviscerate_ ’?”

“Tore them apart.” Lee quietly answered, not even looking in Viktor’s direction. “Removed their innards, some people even say he ate some of them.” Viktor shivered at the thought.

“Basically, a rescue crew came after them days later, and discovered the destroyed remains of the hunting party strewn about the main cavern.” Phichit shrugged. “Yuuri had disappeared though, and no one could find him. Legend goes that, ever since then, even till this day, Yuuri is out there killing wild animals to survive, or catching wandering humans to torture and tear apart for fun. Any time hikers go missing and are found dead it’s blamed on Yuuri.  Exciting, right?”

“Right…” Viktor found it more gruesome and was glad it was nowhere close to dinner time yet.

“Anyway,” Phichit went back to taking more pictures, “it’s not all bad of a story…after all, there’s a secret to the legend that only the locals know- well, knew about till we came and found out.”

“What’s that?” He was invested now, may as well ask.

Again it was surprisingly Lee who responded. The guy did not seem to talk much, but even he must have some interest in this legend, if he was here with Phichit. “There’s supposedly an angel out in the woods as well, who will sometimes rescue animals who might have survived a Yuuri attack. Apparently he once also helped a lost kid, from the village; helped him find his way back to the village.  The kid said the angel was a young man, with dark hair and a kind face, who was quiet.”

Phichit took over. “When the villagers asked the kid to lead him back to the ‘angel’, they could not find him. Not long after, a hunter spotted a deer in the forest whose leg had some sort of cloth bound around its leg. No one in the village knew anything of it, so the ‘angel of the woods’ soon became a thing after that.”

“Definitely a fanciful legend.” Viktor grinned. Angels and demons? Well, he liked to think his father was an angel watching over him from Heaven, so he could not scoff too much at the thought. “What if the angel had been Yuuri too?”

“Who knows…probably not? Yuuri is meant to be a kid.” Phichit shrugged. “If he was a true demon, I’m sure he’d age at a lot slower pace…or maybe not at all. We’ll just have to find out!!”

“What, go into the woods and look for him? Isn’t that dangerous, demon or not?”

Phichit grinned, snapping a picture of Viktor’s concerned face. “Of course, but I’ll do anything for a good story!”


	3. Encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heading into the woods, Viktor and co eventually find the caves...and Viktor gets just a little bit scared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Going to try starting on the next chapter today too, though can't promise it will be up today. Hoping to introduce Yuuri in either next chapter, or the one after. Will see~  
> Thanks to everyone for the great responses so far! I'm so glad everyone's loving it! 
> 
> I posed this mini contest on my twitter (not my personal one, i suck at updating that; but my Minami one @katsuki1fan - where I normally post updates for this fic) if anyone could guess what kind of music I listen to while writing this fic, I'd doodle a head shot of the YOI character of their choice~ no one's guessed so far! Feel free to do so until this fic is complete! It's a tough one~ (hint: not YOI soundtrack related xD)

“We gotta go with them!”

Georgi looked like he was about to faint at the thought. “I’m sorry, you mean go into haunted woods and track down a vicious, human eating demon? I think not.”

Mila rolled her eyes, placing an arm around Georgi’s shoulders. “Come onnnn, you really can’t handle a silly ghost story?”

“I wouldn’t exactly say it’s silly…” Viktor pointed out.

“More like stupid.” Yuri scoffed, kicking a chair away from their table so he could sit down and join them.  Where the hell was Otabek? God, if the guy was upstairs on his laptop, leaving him to suffer alone down here…he was going to be pissed.  “Hey, Viktor, I thought you didn’t believe in that crap?”

“I don’t.” Viktor shrugged. He was not about to admit that the thought of finding a flesh eating demon, out in some spooky caves, terrified him. His friends would have a field day if they found out he was somewhat of a scared-y cat. “I just find the story behind it all interesting.  There were exorcisms back then, right?” He turned and asked Phichit, who was sitting at the hotel table next to theirs in the dining room.  “Why didn’t the villagers try and help Yuuri?”

Phichit shrugged, stealing food off of Lee’s plate. “Beats me. Never considered that angle, hm…”

“The villagers back then were terrified of, and hated, demons.” A new voice spoke up. It was the hotel owner, who was approaching them, sitting down at their table. “The villagers did not know methods of exorcism back then, and I don’t think it was even brought into the village till long after. The people here prayed at the shrine, only hoping that their god would save them, or they would have to murder the afflicted soul.  It’s too dangerous out there, legend or not. I wouldn’t recommend it, and the villagers even now are still wary of the caves. Which is why they don’t like talking about all of that legend stuff; it’s only mentioned for the sake of tourism, honestly.”

“I gotta get my story though!” Phichit exclaimed, nearly knocking his drink over in his excitement.  Viktor wondered if it might be safer to move everything on that table away from his arms.

“We’ve had quite a few people get lost and die out there.” The owner replied, shaking his head. “Yeah, you can blame it on the demon, but, honestly, it’s probably been mainly lack of food or water, or bears, things like that, nothing paranormal. I would hate to have to contact all of your families because you all got lost out there.”

“I’ve got a great sense of direction!” Emil piped up, looking excited. “Plus we can just use landmarks, right? The caves aren’t too far.”

“Eh, even you want to go, Em?” Michele looked almost as pale as Georgi.

“You’re not scared too, are you?” Sara grinned. “What if I get separated from Mila and need someone to protect me?”

Michele quickly tried to put on a brave face. “A-ah, yeah! I’m not scared. Hah!” His voice was wavering somewhat. “I’ll protect you, sis. Don’t worry.”

Yuri pretended to vomit. “I’m getting out of here.” He stood and headed for the stairwell. “Not that I care what you all end up doing, but at least let Beka and I know, so we can start planning funerals.” He quickly vanished up the stairs.

“Since when did he call Otabek ‘Beka’?” Mila asked.

“Nevermind that!” Phichit stood up, a determined look upon his face. “I’m going! Tonight! So, if you guys want to come, prepare yourselves! We will meet by the front at ten!” Lee quietly stood and followed him up to their room.

Mila stood too, dragging Sara with her. “It’s decided then. We’re going with them! Don’t be a bunch of babies and chicken out, got it?”

Viktor quietly whined into his drink.

 

* * *

 

They had planned for hiking during the trip, but not during the night time. Viktor was feeling an unusual sense of anxiety as he threw his backpack on after tightening up his shoelaces.  He hugged his flashlight to himself, wishing his dog was with them. Makkachin would keep him safe…

A well-aimed kick got him square on the butt and he shrieked, falling over. “H-hey!!” He looked up to see an annoyed Yuri looking down at him with a raised eyebrow.  “What was that for?”

“You were standing in the doorway, blocking my way, moron.” Yuri walked by him, sneering down. “Bit jumpy, aren’t we?”

Viktor got up as his cousin left to join the others.  Settling himself, he walked over to the waiting group.  The expressions of those waiting varied – Georgi and Michele looked equally parts terrified, while Mila, Sara, and Emil were excitedly looking at the map Phichit and Lee had.  The only reason Yuri had agreed to go out at night, was because Otabek had expressed a slight interest due to potentially spotting bears.

“We all here?!” Phichit asked excitedly. “Good, good! Let’s go!! I have extra flashlight batteries if anyone needs them at some point.”

The group followed Phichit, who made a point to stop by the Katsuki house to show it off to those who had yet to see it.  This time Viktor took the chance to question about the burned door.

“Ah! Well, the hotel owner said that apparently the shrine protector, back then, burned symbols all over the door to try and protect the house from further dark entities from invading the family’s privacy. This was before they knew if Yuuri was an actual demon, or was just possessed by one. My guess is that the flames burnt more than just the symbols, but either way, it must not have been too deep. The wood looks like it could collapse at the touch of a finger though…”

None of them really knew where the dirt road led far past the Katsuki house. Phichit led them down it a far ways, but then took them into the trees to the left, having spotted the nearly hidden trail they were to take into the woods.

It was eerily quiet in the woods, and Viktor felt like they were being watched again. There were bears in these woods; what happened if they came across one?!

The trail was difficult to follow, and Viktor, who was quite tall, kept hitting his head on low hanging branches. This was definitely a moment he was glad he had cut off his long hair – he kept hearing Sara complaining quietly behind him about her ponytail getting snagged. Mila was giggling.

“How far are the caves from here?” Michele asked, sounding like he wanted to get there as quickly as possible.  Georgi had been unnaturally quiet since they had left Hasetsu; at least they were no longer hearing him whine about Anya.

“Half an hour.”  Lee answered, going quiet once more afterward.

Half an hour…and, in the legend, this little kid ran all the way there himself? Viktor could only imagine. It had to have been scary with a group of crazy villagers chasing him down.

After a good while, the trail veered off in two directions. Phichit halted them to peer on his map.  Without their flashlights it was impossible to see.  Viktor jumped again, managing not to scream this time, when he felt Georgi grabbing his shoulder.  In the glow of his flashlight, he could make out the tall Russian who was paler than before.  Maybe they should have made him stay back at the hotel – Viktor would not have minded staying with him.

“This way!” Phichit cried out cheerfully, dragging Lee off again, leaving the rest to follow down the left path.

Their trail was getting rockier, more difficult to tread on.  Viktor kept forgetting to look back and make sure Yuri and Otabek were still with them.  If he let his cousin get lost out here, he would never hear the end of it. Yuri and his friend were walking at the back of the group, and Yuri looked as annoyed as ever, but at least he was not complaining too loudly, for now.

Viktor’s scared mind kept imagining they would be ambushed by a scary demon child with red eyes, but thankfully they had yet to cross paths with anything dangerous.  In fact, they had barely seen any wild life at all. Was everything asleep? Hopefully that meant the bears too.

Eventually he heard their ‘guide’ announce the caves should be up ahead.  That was when Viktor wondered at their next possible dilemma: how prepared were they to be traveling through caves at night? Sure it’d be dark in there day or night, but it felt extra spooky at night. What if the caves had tons of chasms and things they would need climbing gear for? Well, they were most certainly not prepared for that. The thought of having to turn back appealed to him greatly. Though he knew Phichit would be disappointed.

A dark, monstrous gaping hole appeared before them not long after, and Viktor wondered if his heart would explode from the nervous thoughts of having to go inside. Phichit was jumping up and down, cheering.

“Okay! Let’s set up all our gear here…” Phichit started talking away with Lee, planning his set up for some night photos. He roped some of the others into helping, though it was hard to keep up with his enthusiastic running about.

Curious to at least get a peek inside, Viktor slowly approached the opening to the caves, shining his flashlight inside.  It was difficult to see much past the initial glow, but he could make out several rocky formations inside and the pitch black of the cave’s far back…how far did it go? How far would they end up going? Wait- was that something moving back there or just his imagination?

“Get away from there…”

A hand grabbed his shoulder and roughly pulled him away.  Viktor shrieked again – the sound echoing in the cave opening – and he stumbled backward, tripping over a branch and falling.

“Viktor?!”  Focused on his painful landing, Viktor vaguely heard the sound of his friends running towards him.

Rustling in the trees next to him drew his attention.  Something, or someone, was slipping out of sight.


	4. Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their trip into the caves ends in a horrible disaster....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sadly, we have to say farewell to a character this chapter...two, actually, but you'll only know of one officially this chapter, and will have to wait till the next to find out who else died this chapter. DUN DUN DUNNN.   
> This isn't the major character death..that doesn't happen till the end, and we still have a few character deaths to go till then. D: 
> 
> I have work tomorrow, so I'll either try to write some more of Ch5 once I get off work, and try to finish it for Tuesday, or you'll know legit that you'll have it by Saturday! ^^  
> As always: story/progress updates can be found at: @katsuki1fan on twitter. 
> 
> I've realized I've been kind of vague as to what most of these characters do, since it's an AU. Maybe in the near future I'll post some of the HCs I have for this AU on twitter, for fun. Will see!   
> For now, enjoy the next chapter!

Viktor was downright spooked.  Everyone in the group was insisting that none of them had been the one to grab his shoulder, or tell him to get away from the caves.  Phichit was excited, thinking it had to be the angel – trying to protect him from Yuuri inside the caves.  Georgi was in tears, ready to go back.

“Which way did you say the person went?” Mila was inspecting the area Viktor had indicated towards earlier, once he had been able to talk again after his fright. “Hm, there’s no one here now though…”

“Yeah, cause they would have stuck around.” Yuri rolled his eyes. “Not with a large, bumbling group running at them.” The sixteen year old had been sticking closer to Otabek since Viktor’s encounter.  He had insisted he was not scared, but it was starting to be a tad obvious that he may have lied.

“Let me get my pictures and then we’ll head inside!!” Phichit shooed everyone out of the way, so he could get some decent pictures of the cave opening.  Night time shots were a pain, but he figured they would add to the spook factor in his article.

Should they really head inside though?  Viktor could not forget the quiet, yet desperate voice that had warned him away from the caves.  What if there really was some sort of danger awaiting them? He watched as the rest of his friends settled their stuff at their ‘camping’ spot.  If anything happened to any of them, he would never forgive himself, since this trip to Hasetsu had been his idea.

When Phichit announced he was ready to go in, Georgi surprised no one when he said he was going to wait for everyone at their camp, to ‘keep it safe’.  Taking pity on him, everyone agreed and promised they would be back as soon as they could.  Viktor could not help but think it would be scarier staying at the camp alone, but he supposed Georgi knew what he could handle best.

Their guide practically ran into the caves, nearly tripping over rocks in his excitement.  He shone his flashlight everywhere before making Lee hold it so he could get pictures of everything.

Now that they were inside properly, Viktor could see the layout better. It was hard to get past the larger boulders, but further back there was more of flat, rocky ground.  Some of the stone walls surrounding them had odd faded stains, or was that merely the stone’s coloring?  The stains were splotchy in some places, however, and Viktor was trying hard not to think about the legend, how a whole group of men had been supposedly slaughtered in this cave.

As they headed further back, a sound drew Viktor’s attention.  He shone his flashlight back behind them, wondering if it was Georgi having changed his mind about joining them, but he saw no one.  The dark of the cave was affecting him that was all, at least that was what he told himself to keep from scaring more.

The back of the cave had a slightly narrow opening, which led back into further inky darkness. Phichit was quick to slip through, despite any warnings from the most cautious of the group.  Their guide seemed to share little fear when it came to adventuring.  Thankfully the opening was wide enough they could all squeeze through; it was definitely big enough for a small child.

“So this is where he would have hid, after killing everyone…” Emil was quite fascinated, easily keeping up with Phichit even better than Lee was.  Michele wanted to keep up with his boyfriend, but he was sticking closer to Sara, under the pretense of keeping her safe, despite her having Mila by her side.

The going was trickier after slipping through the opening.  Their path wound through various openings and twisting paths. Viktor was afraid they would get lost for good.  Who was even keeping track of where they had come from?!  Viktor’s sense of direction was poor, and he felt horribly lost.  He was also certain he kept hearing footsteps behind him, having put himself behind Yuri and Otabek, just in case there really was something, or someone, following them. It was awful to imagine a young kid being stuck in here for so long.

“How old was that kid anyway?”  The rare voice of Otabek asked, voicing the question Viktor had been thinking.

Phichit answered from up ahead. “No one knows for sure, around 10, maybe a year or two less. He had an older sister too. The family supposedly moved out of Hasetsu aft-“

The ground started shaking underneath them, sending everyone into a bit of a panic.  Dust and rocks were falling from the ceiling.  Without thinking, Viktor grabbed Yuri, dragging him back the way they came, ignoring his cousin’s shouts that were muffled by the loud echoes of stone falling.

 

* * *

 

“Shit…” Yuri hated Viktor for suggesting this stupid trip, for dragging him away like that. He was angry, and scared, not that he would admit it if anyone asked, and his cousin was currently lying on the dirt floor unconscious after a large rock had struck him on the head.  

“Where the fuck is everyone?!”

Viktor’s breathing was shallow, but at least he was still alive. There was blood on his forehead, dripping through his short hair, contrasting sharply with the light platinum blond color in the glow of Yuri’s flashlight.  He was not responding to Yuri’s rough shaking, which was freaking the younger Russian out.

Swearing once more, Yuri stood and tried looking back the way they had come. Rocks lay everywhere, dust and dirt still settling somewhat from the collapse.  How far back had Viktor dragged him? It had been a blur.

“Beka?!” He at least needed to know where his friend was. The thought of losing Otabek in here made his chest tighten in panic. “Beka!!”

“Yuri?” The quiet, but strong voice of his best friend called from up ahead.

Relief escaped Yuri with a small sob, and he ran forward, using his flashlight to find Otabek.  His friend nearly ran into him, meeting him halfway, capturing Yuri up in a tight hug.

“Ow- don’t hug me so tightly, asshole!” Yuri swore, hugging Otabek just as tightly. His arms were shaking as he tried to calm down, hiding his face against his friend’s jacket. When he felt Otabek’s arms loosening their grip, he growled, hugging him more tightly. “I didn’t say you could let go either! Geez…”

“Sorry…” Otabek replied, not letting go.

As much as Yuri wanted to stay like that, he knew they had to find the others, as well as get Viktor some help. As he pulled away, he felt Otabek’s lips gently brush his forehead and he was glad it was too dark for him to see the blush heating up his face. His friend was a man of few words, but he still found ways to express his feelings; was this his way of acknowledging what Yuri, himself, had felt between them more recently? “Beka…”

“Later.” Otabek took his hand. “We should find everyone.”

“Viktor’s hurt…I can’t wake him…” Yuri felt that familiar anxiety tightening his chest. “What if we don’t-“

“He’ll be fine.” Otabek responded; his sure response helping calm Yuri a little.

A shuffling behind them drew their attention.  As they turned, both their flashlights shone on an unfamiliar figure, which covered its face, shielding it from the bright lights.

“Who the hell are you?!”  Yuri yelled, surprised when Otabek moved in between him and the stranger. He could protect himself, but he supposed the thought was nice. Beka really was sweet, in his own way.

“…I told him…” The figure finally straightened itself, revealing a young man. He appeared to be about a head shorter than Viktor would be, with dark hair and a dirt covered face.  His clothes were a little worn out and somewhat baggy on him – a pair of black jeans and a plaid long sleeved shirt, whose sleeves were a touch too long.

“Told him what?!”

The man flinched at Yuri’s loud shouts, which echoed off the cave walls. He looked anxious in the light focused on him. “I told him not to go into the cave… Can you- can you not…shine that on me, please?”

Otabek lowered his light a little, but Yuri refused to. “Fuck no. We don’t know who the hell you are; you could attack us or something…”

“I won’t…”

“Like hell I’ll believe that.”

“Listen!” The man pleaded. “Your friend needs help, and we need to get the rest of them out of here. This cave is too dangerous…why didn’t you listen to the villagers?”

“Because that damn Phichit needed to get his stupid ass demon story.” Yuri grumbled, walking about Otabek. “Fine. You, come with me,” he pointed to the stranger, before turning back to Otabek, “Beka, please stay with Viktor. Let him know I’m alright if he wakes. Otherwise the idiot will never stay still.”  Otabek nodded in agreement, leaving to go back the way Yuri had come from.

“What’s your name?”

The stranger watched Yuri warily as he approached. “My name?”

“Yeah, slowpoke.” Yuri rolled his eyes, using the flashlight to light his way as they headed further back past the rubble. “What am I supposed to do, keeping calling you ‘you’?”

“Ah, I see…right.” The stranger nodded, looking nervous. “Um..T-Toshiya? I’m Toshiya.”

Toshiya did not sound too sure in his response, but Yuri just nodded, not caring whether it was a fake name or not as long as he had something to call him by.

“I’m Yuri. Don’t call me Yurio like those other losers, or I’ll kick you.”

“Yuri?” Toshiya sounded oddly uncomfortable at the name. “Okay…I’ll remember.”

“Whatever.”  They continued walking as Yuri looked for any sign of his group.  A slight glint of a reflection caught his eye when his flashlight light bounced off of something lying up ahead. Not waiting for the other man to follow or not, he ran forward, reaching down to pick the object up.

It was a large part of Phichit’s camera.  Yuri could see part of the camera brand’s name printed on the plastic. The lens was cracked, and most of the back was missing.  He kept it with him when he turned and saw Toshiya approaching.

“What…is that?” The other man was eying up the broken camera in confusion.

“Never seen a camera before?” Yuri scoffed, tossing it into Toshiya’s hands. The man nearly dropped it, inspecting it once he had it in hand.

A faint scream up ahead startled both of them.  Yuri turned and ran towards the direction he had heard the scream from, recognizing the voice immediately.

“Mila!!”

There was too much rock everywhere to navigate quickly. Yuri swore loudly as he tried to climb over rock and dirt, too anxious to be annoyed that his favorite shoes were getting filthy. Eventually he hit a wall of rock that he could not pass. He could hear muffled sobbing on the other side.

“Mila!!”

“Yuri?” The voice called from the other side. Yes, it was Mila. She was alive, thank goodness. “Yuri! Help me dig through. Everyone’s over here, where’s Viktor?! And Otabek?”

Yuri started prying at rock, trying to work from the bottom to keep things from collapsing down upon anyone. “They’re both on this side…Viktor’s been knocked out though. I can’t wake him. Dumb asshole better not die on me, or I swear to god-“

“Emil’s dead…”

Yuri stopped; hands entrenched in dirt and loose pebble. “Wh-what?”

“Hurry!”

He dug as quickly as he could, eventually meeting up with Mila and Sara who were prying through on the other side.  Mila pulled him through, hugging him tightly and he did not have the strength to fight against it after the quick glimpse of what their flashlights showed on the other side.

Michele was on the ground, holding Emil who appeared to be unconscious. There was blood all down the side of Emil’s face, a grotesque sight compared to the tranquil expression upon his lifeless face.

“H-how…”

Sara sobbed, shaking her head. “We all started running, but he must have gotten caught. It was hard to see with everyone’s lights going every which way…by the time I found Mila, Mickey had already gotten back here and found him. It was…awful…”

Her brother was sobbing in the background, voice muffled against Emil’s shoulder.  This was unreal. Yuri felt numb. They were only going for a hike to find some stupid legend. No one was supposed to _die_.

“Where are Phichit and Lee?”

Mila pointed off to the side, where Lee was sitting, leaning against the wall. He looked concerned, but was focused only on the quietly crying man curled up on his lap. Phichit was holding his own arm tight against his chest.

“I’m pretty sure he broke his arm…but he won’t let me near it to check it out, and Lee just shook his head at me, so…”

“This is so fucked up.” Yuri grumbled. “We gotta get everyone out of here. Sitting around is only going to make things worse.” He went over to Michele and crouched down.  Comforting people was not his strong point, but he did not want to make the guy feel worse. “Yo, Mick, can you carry him, or do you need help?”

Michele shook his head, not lifting his face from Emil’s shoulder.

“That’s not a fucking answer, but alright.” Yuri stood; awkwardly placing a hand on Michele’s shaking shoulder. “Lee can help you carry him if you need help.” He turned towards where Lee and Phichit were. “I’m not strong enough yet to carry this guy, so help him out. I’ll keep an eye on Phichit. Oh, fuck, right…we found your camera, or part of it…”

He turned around, realizing he had forgotten Toshiya, but the strange man was nowhere to be seen. “The fuck…he was just here…”

“Who?” Mila asked, as Sara went over to coax Michele into standing and carrying Emil out of the caves.

“Some idiot who popped up after the collapse.” Yuri snapped, shining his flashlight everywhere. “Said his name was Toshiya, was tall, and had dark hair and a dirty face. Didn’t see his eyes too clearly though. I handed him the part of Phichit’s camera we found. Dude had no idea what it was…”

“Who would be out here in the caves this time of night?” Mila questioned, sounding surprised.

“Apparently this bunch of idiots.” Yuri indicated to all of them. “Come on, we gotta move. That strange dude is probably heading back towards Beka and Viktor and I don’t trust him.”

Assisting Lee, Yuri got Phichit to stand, lending their guide a shoulder to lean on, while Lee went over to help Michele with Emil.  Their process heading  back towards Viktor and Otabek was a slow one, and Yuri wanted to just run, but, as much as half this group typically annoyed him, he knew he had to help them escape too.

They had been walking for a while when Yuri realized something – they had passed the spot he and Viktor had originally ended up in.  Otabek would not have moved Viktor without help, and surely Viktor would not have suggested they just up and move if he had woken already.

But the fact remained: Otabek and Viktor were gone.   


	5. Stuck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viktor wakes to find a cute angel taking care of him. Meanwhile, Yuri and co escape the caves only to find someone else is missing...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't completely mapped this story out; I just know how it's going to end. So bear with me, everyone. ^^ The group's split up now...I wonder how everyone will fare... hmm...
> 
> Planning some fun things for the next chapter~

“Am I dead?”

Viktor tried to see what he could of the small room he was in, without lifting his head – not much, only a wooden ceiling and that there was a window a short ways from the foot of his bed, a window with old, fraying curtains.  And there was an angel staring down at him; a soft faced angel, with dark hair and worried eyes – the most beautiful eyes Viktor had ever seen.

The angel shook his head, gently dabbing at Viktor’s forehead with a cool cloth. “No, but we were worried you might-”

“We?”

“Viktor…”

The Russian winced as he turned his head enough to see Otabek was sitting beside the bed. “Otabek…” Where was everyone else though? “Yuri…?”

“I will find them.” Came the response from the angel above him. “You were losing too much blood; I had to move you from the caves.”

Blood? Had he been injured that badly? Viktor could not remember. There was the rumbling, then things started to fall and he had dragged Yuri off…

“Who are you?” He asked finally. “Are you the angel?!”

“What are you talking about?” The other man looked flustered as he stood. “I’m as human as you are.” An uncomfortable expression covered his face and he turned to Otabek. “Please keep him awake while I go find your friends. Don’t try and go anywhere, you’ll get lost.”

Otabek merely nodded, though an uncharacteristically concerned look was showing in his dark eyes.  Viktor was starting to get worried.

“Please, angel, find my cousin…and our friends.”

“Don’t call me that.” The man replied sternly. “My name’s Toshiya, nothing else. I’m nothing else…” He escaped the room, leaving Viktor to feel like he had done something wrong. 

Ugh, he was an idiot. That guy was beautiful, like an angel, how could he resist stating the obvious?  Plus the guy looked like how Phichit had said the angel did, in that legend, and why else would someone that young looking – had to be only a few years younger than Viktor, himself – be living in these woods alone?

“I think we found one half of the legend at least, eh Otabek?”

The younger man only nodded.

“Yeah…” Viktor winced as he tried moving his head again, “well, I hope Yuri and the others are brought back safely…”

 

* * *

 

Yuri was ready to kick someone again.  They had somehow managed to escape the caves, but only to arrive at an empty camp site.  Georgi was missing too.

“Let’s just assume he went back to the village, alright?” Mila was still trying to tough it out, but even her voice was starting to crack a little. If she cried, Yuri would not know what to do.

“Okay, fine, but that still doesn’t help us figure out where Viktor and Beka went.” Yuri growled, looking about their stuff.  Nothing was missing, or looked like it had been messed with, so there was that at least. Georgi had never unpacked his gear, so the fact that it was not around helped their theory that he merely turned tail and ran back to the village. Hopefully he wasn’t lost out there somewhere; his sense of direction sucked, but the trail was easy enough to follow.

“I’m taking Mickey and…” Sara’s voice wavered, “we’re going back to the village. We can’t stay up here, guys.”

“I’m not leaving without Viktor and Beka.” Yuri grabbed his bag after helping Phichit settle down on a log.  Their guide was being eerily quiet.  Maybe he was in shock. Yuri didn’t care. As far he was concerned, half of this mess was Phichit’s fault anyway.

A rustle in the nearby trees drew their attention.  As soon as Toshiya stepped out from behind a tree, Yuri was bearing down on him. “Yo! Where the fuck is our friends?!”

The man looked terrified, holding his hands up defensively. “I’m sorry! The one fellow was bleeding out badly, and you were taking so long I got scared-“

“He better be alive, or I swear to god I’ll-“

“He is! He is!” Toshiya grabbed Yuri by the arm, tugging. “Come! He’s awake, and your other friend is safe too. It’s too dangerous out here…”

“Are you the angel?!” Phichit finally looked like he had snapped out of it a bit, though he was still hugging his arm tightly against himself. “Does that mean Yuuri’s out here too?!”

“Is now the time for your fucking story?!” Yuri yelled at Phichit, yanking his arm back from Toshiya’s grasp.

“I’m not an angel and there’s no such thing as Yuuri!” Toshiya yelled, looking terrified. “Please, just follow me! There are wolves out here at night!”

“Stop yelling!” Mila glared at everyone. “Look, as much as I’d rather we go back to the village, we can’t leave without Viktor and Otabek. You all go with this guy, and I’ll stay with Mickey, Phichit and Sara…if we hear any wild animals, we’ll move back inside the cave entrance at least.”

Phichit stood, stumbling over towards Yuri and Toshiya. “No way, I’m going with them. I gotta know why this guy’s out here anyway…”

“It’s best if you all come…” Toshiya looked really worried.

“We’re not dragging a dead body through the woods.” Yuri pointed out rudely, feeling somewhat guilty when he heard Michele sob behind him. Oops. Well, he had never been the most tactful sort. “Just take me and Phichit, and Lee, I guess. Mila’s tough; she can protect these guys.” God knew she was the most terrifying and strongest female Yuri had ever met.

Toshiya reluctantly agreed, finally turning and leading the way for the three others to follow. He was quiet as they walked, though Phichit had finally gathered up the energy to start chatting away again.

“What are you doing out here, Toshiya?”

There was a pause in the dark as they walked. “I…live out here.”

“Seriously?!” Phichit sounded mega curious. “Okay, but why? How? Aren’t you scared of the legend? Are you the one who helps lost villagers and hikers?”

“There’s…an old cabin out here that no one was living in, so I took it.” Toshiya explained, sounding nervous. “That legend is merely that – a legend. Don’t take it so seriously. And no…I’ve never helped any hikers before now…”

The way he said the last part sounded like he was lying, but if Phichit could tell he ignored it. “Okay…but how do you survive?!”

“I just do.”

It did not sound like he would answer with much else, and eventually Phichit dropped the subject, focusing on keeping his injured arm secure.

They were not walking for long, when Yuri spotted a dark mass up ahead. As they drew closer, their flashlights bounced off the walls of an old, wooden cabin.  It looked like it had seen better days, but was still kept as well as could be.  There was a small porch with a wooden swing chair, and a very dirty flower pot by the front door that had some sort of plant in it, hard to tell in the darkness.  A soft, warm light was coming from inside, spilling out onto the front porch very faintly when Toshiya opened the door.

Yuri made sure Phichit and Lee were inside first, before following in behind them. He still did not trust this stranger, and was worried of what condition they may find Viktor in.

The main room of the cabin housed a tiny kitchen, a small wooden table, and off to the left was two very old couches, a coffee table that was splintering, a rocking chair, and a fireplace. There was a small fire going, which provided a little warmth to the cabin, and gave off most of the light, despite the few candles spread throughout the room.

“Where’s Viktor?” Yuri demanded, loudly, glaring up at the man.

“He’s-“

“Yuri?!” A faint voice was heard through the door to the right of the kitchen.

Yuri did not wait for anyone; he ran for the door and burst through into a small bedroom, spotting his cousin lying on a bed under some old blankets. “Viktor!” Otabek was sitting next to the older Russian, standing and hugging Yuri tightly when he saw him.

“Thank god…”

“Yuri! Did the angel save you too?” Viktor looked rather cheerful, for a man whose head was wrapped up in bandages. “Where’s- oh, there’s Phichit and Lee, whew!”

The other two were in the doorway, looking relieved to see Viktor and Otabek were both still alive.  “Yep, we’re still alive…” Phichit smiled weakly.

“Can’t say the same for Emil though…” Yuri muttered.

Viktor’s cheerful expression dropped. “W-what do you mean? Where are the others? Yuri?”

“Emil got caught under falling rocks.” Yuri explained, frowning. “He didn’t make it. The others are okay, for the most part, and Georgi must have gone back to the village, because he wasn’t at the camp site when we finally escaped those damn caves.” He looked away when Viktor hung his head as he gripped the blankets, looking upset.

“There was no one at your camp site, when I first followed you guys into the caves…” Toshiya spoke up quietly behind them, his voice wavering somewhat as he entered the room. “I never saw your friend…”

“He must have ditched right after we left then. Loser was probably planning that all along.” Yuri scoffed.

“Ah, it’s the angel again!” Viktor exclaimed, looking up with tearful eyes. “Did you find everyone for us?”

“I’m not an angel. I’m Toshiya…”

Yuri rolled his eyes. “Yeah, and I’m Batman, can we focus on something other than that god damn legend crap? We have these two now, so we should head back now.”

“V-Viktor’s in no position to be moved right now…” Toshiya protested.

“He’ll get better help in the village, and Phichit needs his arm looked at too.” Lee spoke up, providing Phichit with a shoulder to lean upon.

Viktor shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I’m in no condition to move, guys…I can barely sit up without getting dizzy.”

“Fuck, seriously?”

“Sorry, Yuri…” Viktor sighed, “you’ll have to leave me behind-“

“Don’t be so fucking dramatic!” Yuri glared, smacking Viktor’s foot. “Fine. You, Beka, and I will stay here tonight. Toshiya can get these two back to the others, so they can go back to the village.” He turned to look for the other man, but Toshiya had vanished. “The hell, where’d he go?”

Phichit shrugged with his good arm. “He walked out a second ago, looked really anxious.”

They all jumped when they heard the front door slam.

“The fuck…” Yuri went to look, followed by Otabek.  Toshiya was nowhere to be found.  “We can’t find our way back to camp without him. Where the hell is he going? I’m going after him-“

“You’ll get lost.” Otabek grabbed his arm. “Let’s stay.”

 _Christ._ Yuri reluctantly agreed, knowing he would indeed get lost if he went out there right now. He followed Otabek back to the bedroom, where the rest of their smaller group remained. “We’re  stuck here then.” He told them simply.

“Oh dear…” Phichit pulled his phone out with his usable hand, “and no service…” He took a sad faced selfie.

They would have to wait for Toshiya to return, or wait for sunrise, when they could see better and use Phichit’s map to try and find their way back.

“This vacation sucks.” Yuri grumbled, kicking the bed post.

Viktor winced. “I’m sure it can’t get worse than this…”


	6. Him

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He just wanted to play.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some mild, gross, gore-y stuff happens in this short chapter~ I bet you can guess who else is dead by this point ;)
> 
> Next up, we might reveal more of the legend~ maybe... :3  
> Not sure if that chapter will be released today or not. Not off again from work till Saturday, so it'll be harder to get anything uploaded till then, unless I can gather up some energy.  
> Keep up with updates at @katsuki1fan on twitter ^^ (and enjoy my fun version of Minami~ whom I am sad will not be featured in this story)

There was the smell of blood coming from the camp site he had visited before.  It beckoned him forward, promising sweet tastes to his parched throat.  His ears picked up the faint sounds of others, unfortunate souls he looked forward to playing with.

Quieter than a snake, he slipped through the trees, his eyes having adjusted to the dark decades past.  At the camp site sat three people, and one body was lying on the ground at the feet of the only other man of the group.  Hm; too easy.

He stepped out from the trees, tilting his head a little in amusement when the red headed female stood and started questioning him fiercely.  When he did not respond with little more than dark laughter, the group started backing away.

That was the part he liked; the part when everyone started to panic. His sensitive ears could pick up every single heartbeat, every short, shallow breath.

That other guy, from the camp, had been particularly delicious, but the chase had been short. Where had he left the remainder of that body? Ah well.  Here were four more.

“Get away!!” The dark haired girl yelled at him, grabbing the other man and pulling him up to put distance between them and him.

“I…just want to play.” He grinned, drawing closer to crouch down next to the motionless fellow. Ah, this one was already dead. Not as exciting. He lifted the lifeless hand to his lips, kissing it softly.

“Emil!!” The other man screamed, his voice choking in horror. “Don’t touch him!”

“Won’t you all…play with me?” He flicked his eyes up towards the red head, as she was still standing the closest. As she watched, he put one of the dead man’s fingers in his mouth, ripping it off with his teeth, laughter muffled as cool blood splattered across his face.

The red head screamed, dropping to the ground in a dead faint, as the other two ran for it.

“Ah, yay…” He spat out the finger, dropping the hand and standing, walking over to the fainted female. “We get to play after all!” Not this one, however; they were no fun when they were unconscious.

He dragged a finger nail lightly across her throat, a thin red line left behind from his bloody fingertip. “There, there, it’s merely a game of hide and seek…nothing to lose your pretty little head over.”

With a grin, he stepped over her body and left the camp site, heading after the other two. The man would go first; he was the more scared of the two.  After that, maybe the female would be more fun to play with.


	7. Compendium

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snooping through Toshiya's house, Yuri makes a surprising discovery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man. Okay, you all are spoiled - 3 chapters in one day? Granted, chapter 6 was fairly short.   
> Still, I'm glad I could give you all this much before my day off is over! The next time I'll really get to write won't be till Saturday, unfortunately, and I'm hoping for ch8 to be a longer one, which means I might get to post it Saturday or may have to wait till Sunday after work. I'll keep you all updated at @ katsuki1fan on twitter 
> 
> I wanted to have more readings from the history log, but I think it'll be better to let our main character explain it in his own words. Also, things are going to take a turn after the next chapter, I believe...I'm not trying to drag this out forever and ever, and we need to get some action going here~
> 
> (also if anyone has any suggestions for another YOI fanfic to write, let me know, for after this one is done - I mainly prefer fantasy/supernatural/or psychological horror themes, and my fave pairings to write would be Viktuuri/Otayuri/or Yurinami(Minami/YuriP))

Yuri was digging through what little junk Toshiya kept in his home, which was not much of anything interesting.  Phichit was resting in the only bedroom, huddled up next to Viktor and chatting away to keep the poor man awake.  It had been almost an hour since Toshiya had disappeared.

What was nice about having both Lee and Beka as his only company, as he dug through the bathroom and living room, was that neither of them spoke much.  They both typically either only nodded or shook their head in response to his remarks and questions.

“Dude, this guy is weird…like, he has nothing really in his house, besides some random clothes and a few old books.”  Yuri tossed one of the falling apart books aside, before walking back to the small kitchen. Otabek picked up the book and sat it back on the coffee table.

“Hm…let’s see, at least he has running water.” Yuri found two clean plastic cups in a cupboard and filled them with water.  He made Lee carry them back to the bedroom for Viktor and Phichit. Not like he needed his cousin to know he cared that much.

Viktor’s face was quite pale still, and his hands were shaky when he accepted his cup of water with a weak laugh. “Thanks. Goodness, I haven’t been stuck in bed like this since I got the flu last year!”

“The flu is a lot less of a deal than bleeding out, like you almost did.” Yuri laughed shortly, looking through the drawer of the wooden nightstand next to the bed.  “Don’t be so fucking cheerful about it.”

“Why are you going through all of Toshiya’s things?” Viktor questioned, watching as Lee had to help Phichit drink some water. Phichit was struggling to keep his arm stationary – they had tried looking at it after Toshiya had left, and it had swelled a bit, bruising where it was clearly broken.   “Isn’t that rude?”

Yuri rolled his eyes, shoving a drawer closed. “Who cares? The guy is fucking weird and I don’t trust him. Who else lives up in woods like these, alone, at that age, unless they’re hiding something?”

“Maybe he just likes being alone?” Viktor wondered out loud.

“Sure, and I like unicorns and bunnies.” Yuri went over to the wardrobe, opening the doors. Inside was a few garments of clothing, and a mirror was hanging on the inside of the door. “Hm…” He was about to close it when he noticed a loose board in the back, barely stuck on with a crooked nail.

Curious, he yanked at it, the wood popping off with a loud crack. The force nearly sent him tumbling back.  “Shit.” Tossing the board to the side, he shone his flashlight inside.

There was a wide space, wide but barely deep. Nothing was there but what appeared to be a large book.  As he carefully pulled it out, something else fell out from underneath it.  It was a small necklace with a sparkly blue gem attached to it.  Yuri barely cared about the jewelry; he was more interested in the book which was easily falling apart, looked ancient, and…

“This says ‘Katsuki’ on it.”

“What?” Suddenly Phichit’s interest was piqued again.

Yuri held up the book carefully, showing off the faded engraving upon the book’s cover. The faint letters spelled out ‘Katsuki’.

With a rare curse, Phichit struggled to sit up, trying to grab for it with his good hand, but failing miserably.  Lee stopped him, shaking his head. “But I NEED to see that! It could be the answer to everything!!” There was a wild, hungry look in the Thai boy’s eyes.

The rest of their current group felt curious enough, and, after all, this was the reason they had come out to the woods in the first place. Yuri just nodded, setting the book down at the bottom of the bed in front of everyone.

“I’m not fucking reading out loud.”

Otabek moved forward to take his spot. “I’ll do it.” Well, that was surprising to Yuri, but he accepted the offer with a nod, staying close beside him to keep looking over the book.

The very inside had the Katsuki family name printed in delicate handwriting. In fact, a quick look revealed everything was written by hand, though the handwriting appeared to vary throughout the book’s contents.

In his normal low voice, Otabek read out bits and pieces to them. They quickly realized when they had in front of them was a hand written compendium of the Katsuki family history, some parts written like diary entries, others written as a biography might. Phichit looked like he was about to wet himself from excitement, begging Lee to take pictures for him; even Viktor looked a bit more energetic, curious as to what they may discover.

“This goes back even further than 120 years…” Phichit pointed out, hearing some of the entries dates.

“Sounds like it…” Yuri, not usually one to express a legitimate excitable interest, could not help voicing his opinions.

“Read the first one fully!” Phichit begged. “Did you say it mentioned the demon word?! Oh man, oh man…”

Otabek obliged, turning back to the beginning. The first couple of pages appeared to be left for a list of names – family members, throughout the years, birth dates and death dates beside each one.

 

“ _’We can no longer keep ourselves hidden here. The Katsuki name is too well known after the incident at the port. Jun lost control of himself.  How are we to keep our identities unknown, if one of us is using their powers without check?_

_I am moving our household tomorrow, before the council comes for us with their weapons and torches.  Altina was right – the human world is no place for demons to live._

_I am sorry, my precious wife.  This is my fault, the reason we were banished was me, and I shall take full responsibility. We will raise our children somewhere else, somewhere less populated. Jun and Iva will learn to control their powers and we won’t have this issue again.’_

_'This island is the perfect hiding spot.  Hasetsu village is small, and the people leave us well enough alone.  While our house is located right outside the village, I think maybe, with time, we will be brave enough to venture closer to the humans who live here._ ’”

 

A lot of the writing was fading, and difficult to read. Otabek flipped through some pages, scanning the words for anything that might be important. The next legible one was dated years later.

 

“ _’Jun has been doing a lot better over the years, but I fear for he got too close to that human girl. She is pregnant. What will happen to a half demon-half human child? Will it survive? I have no recollection of that ever occurring before. His sister has also made a close connection in the human world. I have not the heart to prevent my children from falling in love…maybe this will be for the best, for our family’s future_.’”

 

“So, hm,” Phichit interrupted, as Otabek flipped through some more pages more towards the end of the book, “the Katsuki family came to Hasetsu to hide, because they were demons? And then eventually mingled with humans…so would that have made future generations half-breeds basically?”

“They became naught but human in the end.”

A furious, shaky voice came from the bedroom’s doorway, making them all jump.  Toshiya was standing there, shirtless, a dark smudge of red on his forehead that looked suspiciously like blood.

He moved forward, carefully closing the book up from under Otabek’s nose, and holding it against his bare chest, looking scared yet angry at the same time. “Why would you read this?!”

“Why not?” Phichit questioned back. “That’s the entire reason we came out here! Why do you even have it? What do you mean they became ‘naught but human’?”

“Why is he shirtless?” Viktor questioned, before mumbling to himself, a little color actually returning to his cheeks. “ _Not that I mind…”_

“He’s Yuuri.”

The final remark caught everyone off guard, and Toshiya looked over at Otabek, the one who had spoken, in horror.


	8. Anxiety

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group finally learns a little more about Yuuri Katsuki, and start to uncover the Katsuki family's secret that has cursed Yuuri since he was a young child.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everything's downhill from here, folks~ finalizing some last character deaths, till we hit the big one - will it be Yuuri or Viktor? Hm...  
> I already promised a friend that Yurio will live, so that's the only spoiler you'll get. ;)  
> Thanks again for all the support, and kind words! I appreciate it.  
> (PS: no one's yet to guess what kind of music I've been listening to while writing this~ if you guess right, I'll doodle a YOI character of your choice x3 it's a tough one to guess though, clue: not YOI related, and it's kind of like club music?)

The small group in front of him felt even more intimidating than when he first met them.  Normally he did not socialize with outsiders for more than was necessary – namely, however long it took to get a lost hiker back to the village – but tonight had become quite the exception. 

To top it off, he could not remember the past few hours before returning back to his house, only to find his unwanted guests reading into his family’s long kept secret.

He could only prey the last few hikers, back at the camp, were still alive.

“W-what are you talking about?” He asked Otabek shakily, backing up against the wall when the shorter, yet admittedly intimidating, fellow approached him. “That’s just a legend! It’s- hey!”

Otabek had managed to carefully wrestle the book from his grasp, opening it to the back, where his downfall lay.

                “I was looking at this when you picked it up.” Otabek turned his back to him, and he was too scared to try and tackle the guy for it. Plus, he was still lacking a shirt, which was making him uncomfortable – why did that Viktor fellow keep staring at him? It was making his face feel hot.

 

                “ _’It took a few years, but I finally returned to my old home to find this boo-_ ‘”

 

                “Please don’t read that…” Could his heart beat any faster from fear?

                Otabek glanced back at him for a second, before turning several pages and ignoring him again.

 

                “ _’Thanks to this curse placed upon me, I found another one today.  I do not remember the night before, and wonder if that was when this poor girl met her demise.  I am so sorry, please forgive me… I’ll clean everything up and bury the body.  If only…if only I could make this stop.  – Yuuri”_ ’

 

                “It’s dated a week ago.”

                “No way,” Phichit looked half excited, half almost horrified, “so…since it was hidden here in your house, you’re the only one who could have been writing it. You are Yuuri! No way, no way!”

                Yuuri felt angry, anxious tears sliding down his face, and he tried to make a beeline for the door, but found his way blocked by Yuri.  He collapsed to the floor, shaking, as he tried to avoid everyone’s gaze. No one had ever discovered his secret.

                No, wait, they did not know his secret in its entirety. There was still a way out of this, right? Yet…he knew they would have questions; questions he was terrified to answer.

                “Please…you can’t tell anyone about me.” He begged. “I don’t want more people trying to come up here and find me. It’s too dangerous, and…I’ve been fine living up here alone…” No, it was not fine – he was always lonely as hell – but there was nothing he could do about it. He could not get close to anyone, or the worst would happen, like it had before.

                “Yuuri…”

                “Y-yes?”

                “What?!”

                Both Yuri and Yuuri responded at the same time to Viktor’s voice. Viktor laughed. “Hey, that will be too confusing with the two of you. Yurio will just have to deal with his nickname now!”

                “Like hell I will, old man!”

                “I’m not old!” Viktor whined. “I’m at least only a few years older looking than Yuuri here-“

                “I’m 129 years old…”

                Everyone looked down at Yuuri with a variety of expressions. “Dang…so,” Phichit was the first to speak up, “so…you ARE a demon? And can live forever and all that?!”

                “I’m not a demon!” Yuuri protested, glaring up at Phichit a moment before looking back down, wiping the tear streaks from his face. “I’m not…I’m _human_.” For the most part; and dang, he was cold; he wanted to get up and get a shirt, but his legs were not working.

                “No human I know has ever lived to be 129 years old, definitely not still looking that attractive.” Viktor pointed out.

                “Oh god, do not start hitting on demon boy.” Yuri grumbled. “Yo, Beka, can you grab this dude a shirt? I’m not letting him leave till we get some answers.”

                Otabek nodded, setting the book down on the bed before going over to the closet and grabbing a faded blue sweater. He also stooped down to pick up the necklace, handing it over to Yuuri with the sweater.  “It’s…pretty.”

                “It belonged to my sister…” Yuuri thankfully put the sweater on, putting the necklace on around his neck afterward. “Shortly after I…disappeared, my family moved away from Hasetsu. This and that book are all I have left of them.”

                Phichit was nudging Lee to take notes, but was not being very subtle about it. “That book holds the entire Katsuki family history…why would they leave it behind?”

                Yuuri shook his head. “I don’t know. Maybe they wanted to let the history die with me? Mari, my sister, she was older, and never intended to have children…the book was always passed down to the next head male of our family when the previous was dying. Neither Mari nor I were meant to know about it, until my father died, but…because of what happened with me, my father had to tell us about our family’s past when I was still a child.”

                “And so what did happen with you?” Phichit questioned. “I mean, 129…that means you were-“

                “9 years old, yes.” Yuuri absentmindedly rubbed the blue gem of his sister’s necklace.  “Please, I can’t-“

                “I gotta know!!” Phichit begged; ignoring Lee’s gentle tugging on his good arm. “Even if I have no choice but to refrain from sharing the story, I- I still have to know. What happened with your family? The demon part…did it eventually disappear then? But you’re still living, so you have to be affected by it somehow.”

                Yuuri covered his eyes. “It’s not what you think! Please, just give me my book back and let me go. I’ll spend the night in the caves if it would make you all more comfortable…just don’t ask me to explain.”

                “Why would you go all the way back out to the caves?” Viktor questioned. “This is your house, after all. Did you convince the others to return to the village?”

                “I…yeah.” Though, to be honest, Yuuri could not remember ever having reached the camp site right outside the caves.

                All he could remember was having left the house, and the next thing he knew, he was covered in blood.  He had rinsed himself off at the creek, located a short ways from his home. His face and hands were easy enough to clean, but the shirt he had been wearing – a shirt he had taken from another dead hiker ages ago – had to be tossed.  Whether the few others left at the camp were still alive or not…he was not sure. He knew of one other who was already dead, from before he entered the caves earlier that night.

                Knowing his condition, however, the odds were that at least one or two at the camp site were now dead as well.

                “That’s good, yay, but don’t forget we still have to get Phichit and Viktor looked at.” Yuri pointed out shortly.  “As soon as we hit daylight, we’re hauling ass out of here.  You all rest in here; Beka and I can keep an eye on demon boy here.”

                “Please stop calling me that…” Yuuri finally worked up the courage to push his way past Yuri and reach the door. “Stay in here with them. It’s not safe around me…”

                “What’s that supposed to mean?” Yuri raised an eyebrow. “If you’re a human, like you keep on insisting, then we have nothing to fucking worry about, right?”

                “But…”

                “Whatever.” Yuri turned back to the rest of their group. “Don’t run off again. You’re our guide out of this mess once daylight hits.”

                Yuuri nodded, before escaping the room, shutting the door behind him. He went to one of the couches and curled up on it, hugging his knees to his chest as he stared at the fire place.

                His carefully constructed life had been majorly disrupted.  This was more than just a lost hiker in the woods he could lead back to the village and then disappear from.  This was an entire group, and he most certainly had already killed at least one of them, if not two, considering the blood he woke to a short bit ago.  And, judging by the state of the first guy’s body, he had eaten a good bit of him. Ugh.

                This group knew about his family now as well.  Did they really think of him as a demon? It was almost nicer when that Viktor fellow kept calling him an angel.

                Yes, he had indeed helped many a lost wanderer, and hurt animal, in these woods. No, he did not consider himself an angel, by any means, especially after all the death he had caused; but…he preferred the idea of being considered a kind and helpful person, not a destructive one.  There was no way to control what happened to him, what had _been_ happening to him since the age of 9. The only thing he had gotten good at was figuring out when his episodes were about to begin. That was when he would put himself at as much distance as possible from other living beings.  It did not always work the way he would like, but sometimes he would be lucky enough to wake up without any blood on him.

                Still, it was never going to end. Not according to the family records, anyway.  Yuuri had considered ending it a few times, himself, but was too much of a coward to finish what he managed to start, and he always healed so quickly and fully that any indications of his attempts never lingered for very long.

                He closed his eyes; sure he could hear the faint whisperings from the group in his bedroom. Hopefully if he slept for a while, he could avoid any more episodes and they would be safe till the morning.

 

                A faint creaking alerted him and he woke with a start, head lifting in quick surprise. His sleepy gaze met with the surprised one of Viktor’s.

                “Why are you up?” Yuuri questioned, feeling concerned. “You should rest till we can get you back…”

                “Couldn’t sleep; too hot, my head hurt, and I was worried about you.” The other man sat down on the couch right beside Yuuri, who had curled up again in a tight ball.  Too close; Yuuri had never been close to anyone since he was a child, and it made him uncomfortable, despite the small part of him that ached for contact of some kind, remembering the warm hugs he used to receive from his family members.

                “Worried…about me?” Yuuri could not understand. Why would Viktor be worried about him? “You’re the injured one.”

                Viktor laughed softly. “I’m feeling better, for the most part. Sorry for my friends back there…Phichit especially is curious about the legend surrounding you, so he can’t help asking so many questions. I can’t image what it’s been like though…I’d be so lonely living by myself, though I already kind of do. OH, but I have a dog. He’s great, but human company is different, you know?”

                Yuuri nodded, unsure how to respond. Up close, the man sitting next to him was quite stunning.  If anyone were to be considered an angel here, surely it was this man?

                “Why are you staring at me?”

                Blushing, Yuuri waved his hands in protest. “I’m n-not!”

                “Is it the balding?!” Viktor sighed dramatically. “My poor hair…”

                “No, no, your hair is fine!” Yuuri hid his face in embarrassment. “It’s…a lovely color.  Your friends…I- they have lots of things I’ve never seen before.”

                Viktor nodded, watching Yuuri curiously. “Hm, yes, I guess having lived out here for so long, you would not be familiar with all the stuff we have out in the rest of the world.”

                Yuuri wanted to ask more about the outside world, but what was the point? Not like he was ever going to experience it.  Even Viktor…learning more about him was useless; he would be out of Yuuri’s life again as quickly as he entered it.

                “But, it has to be…” Viktor shook his head, “I was sad hearing about your story.  I just don’t understand: how can you have lived this long if you’re only human? Yuuri?”

                His head was hurting again. No, not now; he had to get Viktor away from him. He had to fight it off; sometimes he could, but the success rate was never very good, and when he was feeling extra anxious it was even harder to fight off.

                “Go…I’m sorry, but you have to get away from me.” Yuuri warned him through gritted teeth. He felt bad – he did not want to tell Viktor to leave, quite the contrary, but he did not want this beautiful person to get hurt like so many before had.

                Viktor looked puzzled. “What are you saying, Yuuri? Please, I- let me help you? I don’t know what’s wrong, but-“

                “No, no, you can’t help…please,” Yuuri’s voice was choked  by unshed anxious tears, his fingernails were digging into his sides as he hugged himself, “I can’t make it stop, almost my entire life…and I don’t want to hurt anyone anymore…”

                _Just make it stop…please, please…_  Yuuri was about to get up and put distance between his self and Viktor, when something unexpected happened – Viktor hugged him.

                “V-Viktor?!”  He gasped, tensing up as he was pulled over into the slightly bigger man’s arms. The action was enough to help him distract from the intense pain in his head. It was the first hug Yuuri had received in 120 years; he was unable to cope with the feelings this brought him, and he started sobbing against the other man’s chest.  He could not bring himself to hug this surprising man back, nor could he relax, but he did wait as long as he was able before shoving Viktor away.

                “I’m sorry…” Yuuri managed to stand, stumbling back against the coffee table, knocking his family’s book onto the floor.

                “The hell is going on out here?!” Yuri came storming out of the bedroom, followed by a sleepy looking Otabek.  “Viktor you’re supposed to be in bed, not flirting; get your ass back there!”

                Yuuri felt trapped, and he knew he could not hold off his other side forever. He needed to escape.  “You guys need to go…just follow the short path outside to the creek. That’ll lead you to the village if you go left-“ He covered his face with his hands, visibly shaking.

                “It’s too dark to go anywhere, you idiot!” Yuri stormed up to Yuuri, looking like he was ready to shout his head off. “I’ve got a guy with a broken arm, and another who shouldn’t even be walking. Do you think-ack!”

                Yuuri’s hand shot out, grabbing the 16yr old by the throat. “You yell more than a baby pig.” His hand closed tighter, as the young fellow clawed at it for release. “I wonder if you bleed just as much-“

                A sickening crack filled the room as Otabek came swinging out of nowhere, fist catching Yuuri squarely on the jaw.  Yuuri’s head twisted and he stumbled back, dropping his hold on Yuri, who coughed, rubbing his neck as Otabek stepped between them.

                With a few pops, Yuuri got his head back into position, blinking slowly at the young man who had dared hit him. Slowly, a smile grew on his face. His eyes had darkened, and there was nothing but malicious intent in his gaze. “Now I know who will be the most fun to play with.”

                “Yuuri?” Viktor had stood, trying to approach him, though his sleeve was grabbed by Otabek, halting him.

                “I don’t want to play with you.” Yuuri spoke, shaking his head a little, as if clearing his mind. “Go away. G-go…” He stumbled over his words for a quick second, and then seemed to catch his focus once more and he tilted his head in consideration. “I could give you a head start, if you would like? But I’ll only count to ten, that’s all I know.” He sung, slowly approaching the group of three who just as quickly backed away.

                Suddenly, Lee came into the room, looking confused. When he saw the situation, he acted, running over to grab Yuuri’s arm. “Someone help Phichit get back!”

                Before anyone could react, he was dragging Yuuri out of the cabin.  They heard yelling a second later, and the sound of people crashing through the woods. 

 

* * *

 

                “We are getting the hell out of here!” Yuri’s voice was scratchy, but he still managed to convey his usual tone well enough.  “Beka, grab Phichit, and I’ll get this idiot.” He grabbed Viktor by the arm, leading him to the door.

                By the time Phichit and Otabek arrived, Phichit was hysterical. “What do you mean Lee ran off with the demon?! Lee!! LEE!!!” His face looked red and feverish, and he was weakly struggling to escape Otabek’s helpful grasp. “I gotta go save him!”

                “You can’t save anyone in that condition!” Yuri snapped at him. “He’ll be fine, I think…” Who actually knew though? After all, what the hell _was_ that Yuuri?!

                “He can’t be out there on his own!” Phichit managed to escape the hold on him, stumbling against the door and crying out before he forced himself to keep going, disappearing into the darkness that surrounded the cabin.

                “This is not good…” Viktor whined, sounding anxious. “No way he’ll survive out there like this. I have to go after him-“

                “What? And die too?!” Yuri could not believe his ears. “I’m not fucking chasing after that asshole! It’s his fault we are in this mess in the first place! Him and his stupid legend! They can all rot! Fuck. We’re going back to Hasetsu, _now_.”

                “I can’t…sorry, Yuri.” Viktor removed himself from his cousin’s hold, heading for the door. “Stay here with Otabek till morning and I’ll-“

                “I’m going too.”

                “Beka?!” Yuri stared at his friend in horror. “No way! I’m not losing- I’m not…you can’t!”

                Otabek approached him, holding his face with both hands. “Viktor’s still weak. I’ll keep up with him. You’re tough, and in good condition right now. Stay here and we’ll come back for you with the others. _I_ will definitely come back. I promise.” He kissed Yuri, ignoring the noise of surprise from Viktor behind them.

                Yuri’s face felt like it was on fire. Beka...was kissing him. Oh god.  Now was so not the time for this, but given the situation…no, he did not want to think of the alternatives – Beka would be returning to him. He pushed against Otabek’s chest, shoving him away, as he frowned, still blushing as he looked off to the side.

                “Fine. Go, but come back or I swear to god I will…“

                “Got it.” Otabek agreed before turning and helping Viktor out of the cabin.

                As soon as he was alone, Yuri shut the door and clasped a hand over his mouth. His emotions were in turmoil, and he was pissed off.  Being stuck in the cabin like this, unable to do anything…it was the worst, and he hated it. No way was he sitting around as bait.

                He went back to the bedroom and grabbed everyone’s bags, tossing out some of the unessential stuff, to lighten the weight. On his way out, intent upon heading back to the camp site, he grabbed the book that had fallen to the floor, carefully stuffing it in his own bag. Fuck that Yuuri Katsuki – he was going to learn the truth no matter what.


	9. Lee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Determined to put as much distance between Yuuri and the cabin where his friends were, Lee leads Yuuri on a chase through the woods.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *GORE WARNING* - honestly, most of the chapters from here on out will have a gore warning~
> 
> So, I shouldn't be up this late, but eh, the chapter wasn't going to be long so I figured why not just finish it tonight? :)  
> Not sure how I'm tackling the final few deaths before the big finale, but at this point I know who all is going to live and who won't be making it back to the Hasetsu hotel.   
> I figured I'd keep this chapter short as it is, since we finally get to find out what happened to another poor character too.  
> I'll be busy with work the next several days, so hoping to write at least a little, but it'll be tough. Next weekend I'm off both Saturday and Sunday, so I assure you I'll be working hard to get as much out as possible!   
> Thank you so much for all the responses again; I'm amazed at the reactions I'm getting for this fic, and it honestly means a lot to me...knowing that my characters, and scenes, are having the affect on others that I'm going for...it's motivating!   
> As always, please feel free to keep up with me at @katsuki1fan on Twitter (unless the crazy amount of Minami RP scares you away haha, but I do post updates from time to time!)

Playing hero had not been his intention.  Lee had merely been curious as to what had been causing such a fuss, when they were meant to be sleeping.  When he spotted the scene in the living room, sensing immediately that something was horribly off about Yuuri, he had acted on instinct and the knowledge that, to keep his fiancé safe, Yuuri needed to go.

                As soon as he had gotten Yuuri outside, the man had turned on him, trying to pry at his face with sharp nails.  While self-defense was not something he had practiced much of, he was very involved with fitness and sports – he was strong enough to throw off an attacker when he found a way to do so.  Lee had run off into the woods, determined to put as much distance between the cabin and Yuuri as he could, while hopefully losing the strange man at some point without getting hurt himself.  As long as Phichit could be safely guided back to the village; that was all that mattered.

                Everything in the woods looked the same at night. Judging from his phone’s time, the sun would be rising soon, so there was hope.  His feet stumbled through overgrown plant life, and he could only hope that every time he put a foot down it did not land in a hole or something.

                Occasionally it sounded like he could hear Yuuri still coming after him, laughing in the darkness that swallowed everything it touched.  What was going on? The guy had been so…anxious and meek earlier when they confronted him in the cabin. How had he gone from that to this?

                Lee cursed having run out without a jacket, but there was nothing he could do about it now. Hopefully once the sun started to raise it would warm up.

                As he ran past a large grouping of moss covered boulders, he tripped over something and fell face first into some bushes.  Breathing heavily, he pulled himself free of the thorny bushes, feeling stinging cuts all over his face and hands.  It stung, but he had worse things to worry about, like the possibility of Yuuri catching up to him.

                Curious over what had tripped him – it had felt soft, not hard like a rock or log – he pulled his phone out of his pants pocket and used the flashlight function.  What he saw was enough to turn even his rock hard stomach, and he turned, retching into the grass.

                It was Georgi. Well, what was left of Georgi anyway?

                Nearly half of the Russian’s face was missing, along with the lower part of his body, past the stomach. Both of his arms had been severed around the elbow, and it looked like something, or someone, had bitten into the man’s neck quite a few times.  It was disgusting, and cruel, heartless, and nowhere near their camp site.  So whoever had done this had most likely chased Georgi out here, or at least close enough to later dump the body.  Had it been this new Yuuri?

                “I am…so sorry, Georgi.”  It was not like they had gotten to know one another, but, well, the guy had seemed nice enough, if not a little loud, and frightened easily.

                Faint laughing caught his ear from nearby, before a low sing-song voice spoke.  “Little Georgi ran and ran, but I think his heart about gave out from fear…what will yours do?” It questioned, drawing closer.

                Lee wanted to find a way to bring Georgi back, knowing everyone would want to be able to say farewell to their friend, but Yuuri was too close. There was no time to lift what was left of the body.  With another word of apology, Lee got up and turned to ran.  He bumped right into Yuuri.

                “Got you…” Yuuri grinned.

                Lee turned to run, but Yuuri was too fast.  Within seconds he was looking down in horror, watching long, bloodied fingers poking through his stomach, entangled in gooey innards, the arm having ripped through his back. Blood spurted from his mouth as the arm was pulled back, and he stumbled back, caught against Yuuri’s chest, being held up in a grotesque hug.

                “Phichit…” Lee gasped quietly, feeling weakness spreading through his body as everything started to go dark. No, he could not die here; he had not wanted to go on this dang trip anyway, having only done so because he knew it had made the love of his life happy.

                Yuuri rested his chin on Lee’s shoulder, humming. “Don’t worry; your lovely Phichit will have fun too. We’ll all play together, in the end.”

                They stood like that until Lee’s eyes finally closed, his body sliding to the ground below with barely a sound. 

                Yuuri gently patted his face, grinning, before he straightened back up and disappeared back through the trees. Nothing was left but the soft whisper of leaves as the wind started to pick up.


	10. Downhill

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Split up, everyone is in various states of trying to locate one another, unaware of the fates befallen their less fortunate companions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M BAAAAACK~! Have the entire weekend off, so my plan is to get as much written as possible for this. I'm excited cause of the two other YOI fics I have planned for after this one. *_____*
> 
> We really are reaching the end here, sadly...I know it's coming up, it's just hitting that point...cause we still have a bit to experience...

Sara had been hiding in a large tree hollow for more hours than she could keep track of – her phone had died.  After fleeing the camp site, she had lost sight of Michele.  Too scared to turn back, she had found the first hiding place she could, crouching down in a large hollow that had been created by an overturned tree, its roots dangling down around her as she grabbed some of the plants growing around to cover her location.

                There had been no sounds of anyone nearby and she had tried to remain as quiet as possible, but eventually the fear and panic got to her and she started sobbing, trying to muffle the sounds with the sleeves of her sweater as she curled up on the ground. Nothing could be done, but wait till daylight.  She had cried herself into a very light, anxiety-ridden nap, waking when the lighting outside the tree had started to take on a bluish tinge.  Was it nearing morning? She had to get up and find everyone.

                Emil was dead, her brother was missing, and Mila had fainted…they had left her there with that Toshiya guy.  He had been acting really weird, and why had he bit Emil’s finger off?!  Did he do something even worse to her girlfriend?

                Head back to camp…if she could find it. That was her only option right now. Getting back to the camp site would give the trail back to the village.  Even if she felt brave enough to go out elsewhere to find everyone, wandering through the woods alone would surely lead to getting lost even more than she already was.

                Slowly, she left the coverage of her tree and looked about. No one; okay, she could do this. Her flashlight had been left at the camp in her haste to run away, and her phone was definitely still dead, so all she had was the faintest light to go by, but it was enough.  Everything looked different after several hours, and she only vaguely remembered which direction she had come from. There had been too many turns taken, and she had been in too much of a panic to take note of landmarks to remember the way back.

                Only ten minutes later, she heard the sound of movement in the trees around her.  Her heart rate picked up, eyes skimming the surrounding area for hiding spots…nothing.  The movement was getting closer. She panicked, taking off in whatever direction her feet felt like moving in.

                Years of running track provided Sara with speed, but she did have a problem with the slowing down and stopping part. Just as she was heading down a rocky incline, she spotted a familiar figure coming through the trees, but she was unable to stop in time, causing her to barrel right into the poor guy.

                “Otabek!” She shrieked, throwing her arms out to try and catch herself as they both fell, rolling in separate ways. Running into him was like hitting a brick wall, but she’d had enough momentum going to actually knock him over. Her head hit a tree and she cried out, seeing dark spots fill her vision as she finally stopped rolling.

                “Sara?”

                “Viktor too?”  She felt someone crouch down beside her, gently touching her shoulder.

                Otabek had managed to escape the fall mostly unharmed; only a few cuts and scrapes gracing his face, which still held a rather stoic expression.  He brushed off his jacket while Viktor helped Sara sit up slowly.

                “Where’s the others? Yuri? Phichit and Lee? Are they-“

                “Yuri’s fine; he’s back waiting at the other Yuuri’s cabin. Lee took off after Yuuri, and Phichit got scared and ran off after him later…he’s not in a good state to be wandering the woods, so I went after him and Otabek came with me.” Viktor explained.

                Sara was confused. “Wait, ‘other Yuuri’? I don’t understand…what about Toshiya?”

                “That’s really Yuuri. From the legend.” Otabek responded, looking around the area. “We should go. I’m hearing things out there…”

                “From the…so that explains why he bit-“

                “Bit?” Viktor blinked. “He was really upset right before he ran off; said something about not being able to stop himself or whatever…and he grabbed Yuri by the throat…I think there’s something going on we don’t know about.”

                “He bit Emil’s finger off!” Sara wailed, grabbing Viktor by the front of his coat. “Mila fainted and Mickey and I ran off- oh god, what if she’s dead too?!”

                “I- I’m sure she’s-“

                Sara shook her head. “I’m the worst girlfriend! I left her there, and he probably killed her! I even lost track of Mickey!”

                “Sara…Mila’s tough, she’ll-“

                “She was unconscious!” Sara tried to push herself up to stand. Her head was throbbing and she felt dizzy, but she had to keep moving. “We have to find the campsite. Maybe- maybe she woke up and made it back to the village. I have to…hope…”

                More sounds in the trees surrounding them alerted all three.  They all gathered together, nervous, and quietly agreed to leave.

 

* * *

 

                Mickey would never admit out loud that his sense of direction was the worst out of all his friends.  He got lost even just going to the market once a week.   After having run off with Sara, they had gotten separated, and ever since then he had found himself 100% lost.  Maybe if he turned around…he ended up walking for hours, startling at every sound that rustled through the trees.

                Sure, he was a scaredy-cat, but he had to keep reminding himself that Sara was out here somewhere too, and she needed him.  That thought kept him moving, despite having tired out ages ago.

                Having turned himself around, he kept moving, until, as bluish light started to tinge the trees, he found himself back at the camp site.  He was afraid to enter the area, scared of what he might find – scared of having to see Emil’s body again…

                Mila was gone from where she had fainted. Sara was not back yet either.  All of their leftover things were still lying about.  And…Emil; cautiously, Mickey approached his boyfriend’s body, feeling his heart breaking all over again at the sight.

                They had been an official couple for only a few months, though their close friendship had extended for a much longer period of time through sports. When he had finally gotten up the courage to ask, Sara had screamed his ear off on the phone in her excitement, and Emil had laughed, asking him why it had taken him so long. They had been inseparable ever since, and now that he was gone…Mickey felt lost.  And if he lost Sara too…how could he handle losing the two people he loved most in the world?

                He had to find his sister. Going back to the village would waste time.

                “I am so sorry, Emil…that I could not save you…” Mickey crouched down and kissed Emil’s forehead, “I love you; always. I’m going to go rescue Sara. That much I can still do, right? Watch over me.”

                He stood, rubbing at his face in frustration. “I can do this! SARA!!!” He shouted, running off into the trees.  That crazy Toshiya guy was not going to scare him away from finding his sister. He continued to call out to her, hoping she would somehow hear him and respond.

 

* * *

 

                Viktor was worried.  Sara seemed a little woozy on her feet after that hit on the tree. He would offer to carry her, but she was stubborn and typically preferred to struggle onward herself.  Still, he kept a watchful eye on her as they went, letting Otabek keep an eye out for signs of Yuuri, or Phichit.  Hopefully Lee had escaped after dragging Yuuri off. 

                Still, it was confusing.  Yuuri did not seem like a bad fellow. Not when they had spoken together.  Obviously something was going on their group did not understand, and it was distressing enough to Yuuri to make him want to avoid other people all together, but did that thing, whatever it was…was it bad enough to make Yuuri dangerous?  And what did Sara mean when she said he had bit off Emil’s finger?

                Yuuri had changed back there, right before Lee dragged him off. When he spoke he had still sounded like Yuuri, but…the way he spoke was different. He had not spoken in a manner as meek or anxious, and he’d had no trouble with threatening Yuri.  It was like his personality had done a complete 180.  Did it have something to do with the demon part of Yuuri’s family?

                Viktor was not sure why it mattered to him so much now; wanting to know as much about Yuuri as he could, as opposed to before when he had just brushed it all off as a legend.  Maybe because he had not believed Yuuri would be real or that he would be so…attractive. 

                Was it shameless of him to think that if this were some other situation – if he had run into Yuuri along the street one day or during a trip – he might have wasted no time in asking him out on a date?  Now was really not the time to be thinking such things, but Viktor could not help it – he had never met anyone before that evoked such feelings in him at first sight.

                “Did you hear that?”

                “Huh?” Viktor and Sara both paused, looking over at Otabek who was concentrating. “Hear what?”

                “Sara!!” A faint voice was calling in the distance.

                “MICKEY?!” Sara pulled herself away from the two, running off into the trees and calling after her brother.

                Viktor tried to stop her, but she was already gone. He took off after her, surprised at how fast she was.  The area they were in was rocky and rough to traverse, making it difficult to run through. He was stumbling through a bit, when suddenly someone collided with him from the side.

                Losing his footing, Viktor didn’t get a chance to see who had run into him before he was slammed into a tree.  The force knocked him breathless and he collapsed to the ground, hearing laughter before he blacked out.


	11. Background

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuri takes a break and finds out a little bit about the truth behind the Katsuki family "curse"...meanwhile, Phichit is struggling in his search for Lee.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for salty Yurio swearing~ hahaha. So, this chapter isn't too bad...next chapter will involve a bit more of the freaky stuff, but I'll have some warnings for y'all then!

“Fuck this- fuck that- the fuck is this branch doing here?!” Yuri was cursing up a storm as he walked through dense trees, getting whipped in the face by stray branches and twigs. He hated the outdoors. He also really hated Viktor right at that moment, but his cousin was not there for him to yell at, so nature would have to take the hit instead.

                He had been walking for half an hour now, and was sure he kept hearing someone in the far distance, but, truth be told, he was scared to find out who it was.  His throat still hurt a little after Yuuri had grabbed it.

                “Damn it!” He kicked a fallen tree trunk and huffed, flopping down to sit on it.  How the heck was he supposed to get back to the village without a map? This pissed him off, and he was freaking hungry too. Whenever he was feeling extra hungry, it made him think of his grandfather’s pirozhki. Only the best food in the world; ugh, his stomach was growling.  

                Taking a break, he pulled the old Katsuki family book out of his bag. He quickly flipped through to the back, spotting the last few entries were all from Yuuri. Skimming the entries’ contents, he found the first one from Yuuri contained the answers they were seeking. It had been the one Beka had been about to read before Yuuri cut him off the first time.

 

                “ _’It took a few years, but I finally returned to my home to find this book. Why did dad leave it behind when they left? Looks like he did not write down what all was happening, so I suppose it is my duty to do so, as a member of this cursed family.  My name is Yuuri Katsuki. At the time everything started happening I was nine, but it has been three years since then.  It all started when my sister – Mari – and I went to play at the creek. We got separated and at one point I thought I fell asleep. When I woke, there was a dead cat lying next to me; there was blood under my nails and all over my hands and clothes. I was scared and tried to clean myself up as best I could, but there was no hiding the blood on my outfit. My parents looked really concerned when I got home and told them. They made me promise not to tell anyone.  Turns out, it was the neighbor’s cat who liked to wander the woods on occasion. Not long after it was some of the village goats. Always animals, always I was waking up covered in blood; I was scared, my own sister was afraid of me, and my parents stopped letting me leave the house. They told the neighbors I was sick, and left them to figure out what had been killing off their livestock. Then came the day I was caught, seen tearing apart the village leader’s favorite horse. So many people showed up to our house, even the shrine protector, demanding to know what was going on. The shrine protector burned some symbols into our door, praying it would keep out the demons that might be possessing me. I did not know at the time what it all meant. I was scared, and hid in my room every day. Finally, one day, my father sat Mari and myself down with our mother, showing us this family book. He said he was meant to save it for when I am old enough, and he passes, but, given all that was happening, he assumed it would be safe to show us now. This book contains our family history, jotted down in various styles throughout the years. Apparently our ancestors – the start of the Katsuki family – were a family of demons. The father of this family did something that got him kicked out from the Underworld, and he took his family to live here on Earth. Eventually their family mingled with humans, and after a long while the demon part of them were bred out. Sounds so fanciful, correct? However, every few generations or so, a member of the Katsuki family will be born, tainted with demon blood – providing them with a healthy immortal life…a long life may be considered a gift, indeed, but not as a cursed life._

_I am not a demon._

_I will live forever; I will heal within minutes of being injured, saving me from all scarring and disease; I will know the pain of having to watch loved ones die out before I do; and I will forever have to occasionally ‘wake up’ to the sight of dead bodies, animal and human alike, from when the demon blood triggers my insanity._

_That is the Katsuki family curse. We are only human, and I can only hope that this ends here with me. It should, because I killed my only sister-_ ‘”

 

                “The fuck?!” Yuri shook his head, closing the book in annoyance. It _did_ sound fanciful, but considering what he had seen…

                So that was why Yuuri had done a complete 180 personality change back in the cabin? The guy was not a real demon; there was just something in his blood that triggered him, making him go insane?  Sounded like a shitty trade off to be able to live forever. No wonder he camped out in these woods.

                Knowing the truth now made Yuri feel even more nervous for his friends being out wandering the woods then, especially Beka.  If Yuuri tried to kill his- well, Yuri was not sure what to call their relationship at this time, but Beka was his, and no way was he going to let some whacko kill him.

                There was that shouting again. Yuri stuffed the book back into his bag and stood, brushing his jeans off before he continued his journey through the woods, this time in search of the source of the voice.

 

* * *

 

                Everything was swimming in front of Phichit’s eyes. He had to take a break, yet he had not found Lee. Where was his fiancé?

                Stumbling against a tree, he finally gave in and slid to the ground, whimpering as he held his arm against his body. It hurt so badly and was swelling a little. Phichit felt like such an idiot.  Everything that was happening was his fault.  Well, maybe not technically, but he felt like it was, because this whole trip into the woods had been his plan.  He had only wanted to be recognized in journalism for once, for his stories and not just his photography.

                Now here he was, lost in the woods with a broken arm, semi-responsible for the death of one person, and…well, he had no idea where everyone else was or what had happened to them. Surely the others at the cabin had all left as well.

                He sighed, whimpering as he rested his head back against the tree. With his good hand he pulled out his phone, glad he’d had a portable wireless charger to charge his battery earlier at the cabin. No service, of course, but he could take another selfie, and record a video just in case he did not make it and his body was found later.

                “Hey, guys, it’s your pal Phichit!” He was trying to sound a little cheerful, but his voice was wavering. “Uh, I- I’m only making this to help myself feel better but, ya know, will probably delete it once I get back to the village…but, yeah! Um…not doing too well- ha…but I’m going to make it!! Only need to find Lee before I go; no way I’m letting him run off with cold feet and miss our wedding…we worked real hard on planning it- and- and…”

                He stopped the video – sobbing on camera was never something he allowed himself to do, even if he had little intention of showing this to anyone else…if he made it back alive anyway. Surely everyone else was going to make it, and he, himself, would make it back…he had to. So he could apologize properly for having caused such a mess.  He barely had the strength to get up again, but he forced himself to do so, leaning against the tree for support as he started a second video.

                “See! I’m up and ready to continue my journey back! So no one worry about me, alright? Yeah, I’m going to see you all very soon!” He gave the camera a big, watery smile and a peace sign before stopping the video.

                Shoving the phone back in his pocket, he looked about, wondering which way to go next. If only he had a better way to track Lee down.  Well, the only ‘right’ way was trying any way, at this point.

                “Off I go…”


	12. Torn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viktor gets a horrifying request from Yuuri...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING - GORE, BRIEF MENTION OF SELF HARM/SUICIDE....OH, AND MORE CHARACTER DEATH.
> 
> A lot of scary stuff happens this chapter >_< sorry...we are very near to the end now though.  
> Sorry I can't get more than this up today; we have family coming over for Mother's day, and I have work at 4am tomorrow so I'll be heading to sleep early. I'm working 9 days in a row this week... T_T Wish me luck!   
> I'll be writing whenever I can, but this week will definitely be a challenge for me.  
> Updates and messages from me will be, as usual, viewable at @katsuki1fan on twitter. :)

Viktor woke to the sound of screaming. No one was around him, but he could it off in the distance. Groaning, he slowly sat up, wincing at the pain in his shoulder.  He did not need to look to know there was going to be a good sized bruise there.

                Someone had definitely run into him on purpose, if he recalled the laughter right, but who had it been? Yuuri?  None of his friends would have done it.

                The screaming was horrifying; he pushed himself up, struggling to stand, so he could head to the source. It sounded like Sara.

                As he drew closer, the screaming slowly was dying off. It sunk down to loud sobs, until it cut off completely. Viktor was afraid, as he entered a small clearing, to see what awaited him.

                And for good reason.

                Sara was lying halfway across the clearing, but she was not alone.  A dark figure was crouched over her, and, as Viktor’s eyes adjusted to the slightly brighter morning light in the open area, he realized the figure was biting into her face.

                There were bits and pieces flung all around her, as the person laughed to himself, sitting up to dig through internal organ and muscle. Cracking sounds filled the clearing as he tore apart bone, making it easier to get inside or remove limbs.

                Viktor did not have a weak stomach, but even this…this was too much for him.  He stumbled back, grabbing at a tree for support.  “Y-Yuuri!!”

                The man paused, looking up, spotting Viktor with a grin. It was indeed Yuuri, face covered in blood.  He stood, blood dripping off chin and outstretched hands, as if he was reaching out towards him, begging him to come closer.

                “Viktor!” Yuuri sung, laughing a little. “You finally came to play…but I wanted to save you for last.”

                Viktor shook his head. “Yuuri, please…don’t do this-“

                “I _always_ do this.” Yuuri giggled, slowly approaching him. “I will never _stop_ doing this. The least you could do is play nicely with me, Viktor.”

                This was the not the shy, nervous Yuuri he had spoken to on the couch only hours before.  This Yuuri was…but, he had said they were not demons.  So what was going on?

                No time to think about it; Yuuri was getting too close with those bloody hands for comfort. As much as he wanted to know the truth, Viktor turned and ran, hearing the other man shouting after him as he went.

                The direction did not matter at this point, only getting away.  Viktor ran, stumbling over fallen branches and rocks.  The only thing that stopped him in his tracks was when he spotted a familiar jacket.

                Oh no…

                He fell to his knees by the motionless body, gasping for air from having been running…though now the gasps were interlaced with heavy sobs.

                “So slow…”

                A rough hand pushed Viktor to the ground.  He tried to brace himself, but cried out when his shoulder gave from the pain it was still experiencing from earlier. Quickly he at least managed to roll himself over onto his back, eyes widening as suddenly found himself trapped underneath his bloody chaser.

                “Viktor?” Yuuri blinked, having crawled over on top of him, hovering slightly. “Why did you stop? I wanted to chase you more…”

                The smell of blood, and more, was too close to Viktor’s face for comfort. It was making his stomach churn.  Yuuri’s face was too close to his, and, while that might have been appreciated in any other situation, the guy currently looked too manic and bloodied for his liking.

                “Yuuri…please, stop…” Viktor knew things could turn in any second. The image of Yuuri biting into Sara’s face made him easily think that could soon be his own. Maybe reasoning with him…talking it out, distracting him long enough to escape somehow…

                “Can’t…won’t…” Yuuri lightly dragged his bloodied nails down the side of Viktor’s face. “You’re so pretty, Viktor…I can’t wait to see what your insides look like.” The nails dug a little deeper, drawing thick lines of blood.

                As Viktor tried to turn his head away, anger filled Yuuri’s eyes. He grabbed onto Viktor’s shoulders, shaking him and hitting them down against the ground. “Stay still!! You’re not allowed to move!”

                “S-stop!” Viktor’s head was throbbing, from getting repetitively hit, and from the scratches on his cheek. “Yuuri…”

                There had to be a way to stop this. Viktor did not want to become another lifeless  body, to join the one that lay only a few feet behind him.  If Yuuri had killed before, but could make it back to that sweet sounding, beautiful Yuuri…then there had to be a switch, a trigger of some sort, to turn him back, right?  If there was, Viktor had to think fast, because this Yuuri was looking more and more deranged, and was eying Viktor’s body up like dinner.

                “I really thought you were an angel!” The words flew out of his mouth before he could stop them.

                “Huh?”  Yuuri paused, looking down at Viktor who was, admittedly, feeling quite horrified with himself.

                “When Phichit told us about how there was an angel who lived in these woods too…I thought it was you when I woke up. Don’t laugh!!” Viktor forced a smile, as Yuuri’s shoulders shook with laughter above him. “It’s true! I’d never seen someone so beautiful in my life…”

                Yuuri smirked, leaning closer on top of Viktor, kissing his cheek. His lips were dry against soft skin, and Viktor shivered, knowing they were covered in his friend’s blood.

                “I can be your angel, Viktor…” Yuuri’s tongue dragged against Viktor’s cheek, an excited giggle escaping him, “you taste so delicious; I don’t think I’ll have any trouble leading you off to heaven.”

                That sounded way too ominous for Viktor’s liking, though in another context it might have led to something a little bit more enjoyable, a situation he would have taken full advantage of. Apparently his attempts to soften Yuuri had not gone as he had intended.

                Desperate, Viktor did the one last thing he could think of, short of beating the other man up, which was not something he honestly felt like doing – he threw his arms up, offering Yuuri a hug.

                Yuuri looked down at him in surprise, eying the outstretched arms in confusion. “What are you doing?”

                When he had hugged Yuuri back in the cabin, Viktor had felt something change in the sobbing man.  It must have been a very long period of time since Yuuri had last received a hug; maybe some physical contact like this was all he needed?

                “Let me hug you.”

                “What…?!” Something changed in Yuuri’s eyes, a spark, but just as quickly it looked like he was fighting it. “Don’t be ridiculous. Stop trying to distract me!”

                Seeing his last chance dissolving, Viktor used what strength he could to push himself up, quickly enveloping Yuuri in his arms in a tight hug.  He used a hand to keep the other man’s head pressed against his chest, wanting to prevent him from turning and biting him as best he could.

                Yuuri struggled against his arms, crying out and yelling in anger.  He was strong, but Viktor was using all the strength he possessed, alongside extreme determination. Eventually he felt the man in his arms give up, body going limp; despite this, he still kept a tight grip on him.

                Everything around them grew quiet. The body in his arms slowly started shaking, and soon Viktor realized it was due to quiet, muffled sobs.

                “Yuuri?”

                Cautiously, he loosed his hold, and looked down to see Yuuri was gripping his jacket tightly, sobbing against it. This had to be his normal Yuuri, the one with the sweet, lonely expression.

                “Yuuri, ssh…it’s okay…” He held the man securely once more, but in a less threatening manner, rocking gently as he tried to comfort him. “We’ll- we’ll get you help, okay? Everything will be…okay…”

                “Nothing is going to stop this, or help me…” Yuuri managed to finally speak, “it’s who I am, how I was born. I’m so sorry, Viktor. I never…wanted to hurt anyone…”

                “I know. I know; no one wants to do something like that.” Viktor tried to calm him down, feeling his own eyes burning with tears. “It’s not your fault, Yuuri. You didn’t choose this.”

                He let Yuuri cry until there were no more tears to shed. Hopefully this Yuuri would stick around now, at least until they could find everyone and get them back to the village.

                “What- what triggers this change in you?” He questioned softly, not wanting to upset the other man any more than he already was.

                Yuuri sniffed, trying to rub at the dried blood on his face. “It’s my blood. I told you guys back at the cabin – my family grew to be only human – but…every few generations or so, one of us is born tainted with demon blood. It provides us with an immortal life, and great healing abilities, but the downside is that the demon blood will, every so often, trigger something in our brains, reducing us to near insanity. It started when I was nine years old; at first all I killed were animals, and I was caught eventually. The village folk thought I might be being possessed by a demon, but my father soon explained the truth to my sister and me.  We tried to play up the possession as long as we were able, but…one day I came back to myself and found I had killed Mari, my sister. After that, I killed two more people, and the villagers quickly wanted me gone.”

                It sounded way too awful for a young child to endure. Viktor’s heart ached at hearing Yuuri’s story, and he hugged him as comfortingly as he could. “I’m so sorry, Yuuri…”

                “They arranged for me to be hung, but I was too scared and ran.” Yuuri continued to explain. “I could hear them coming after me in the woods, so when I found the caves I thought I could hide in them. They cornered me in there, but that is the last I remember of it. When I came to again, there were dead bodies all around…it was horrifying. I’ve lived out here ever since, my body slowly maturing, and yes, I do occasionally help lost travelers, but sometimes…sometimes I change before they can safely get back, and then I wake to find them dead.”

                He looked up at Viktor, desperation and tears filling his eyes. “I can’t live like this anymore! I’ve always dreamed of being able to have a normal life, living alongside others, but that will never be something I am capable of.” He sobbed, hugging himself, scratching at his own arms hard enough to draw blood. “I’ve even tried ending it several times, but every time I heal within moments. I can’t die, Viktor! I can’t die!”

                Viktor was silently crying, his heart torn apart by Yuuri’s suffering. 120 years of living like this? Feeling this way? He could not imagine how that felt.  As he watched, he noticed the bloodied scratches on Yuuri’s arms were already gone. To have the ability of something so convenient, yet having to consider it a curse…

                “You could do it.”

                “What?” Viktor looked down at the man in his arms. “Do what?”

                “Kill me.” Yuuri grabbed him again, eyes pleading. “Please, kill me, Viktor.”

                How could he ask that of him?! Viktor shook his head, looking horrified.  “Yuuri, there’s no way I can do that! I’m not- I can’t-“

                “Please?! You have to!” Yuuri begged. “I can’t do it myself. Just…tear me apart, so I can never heal again!”

                Viktor was shaking as he pushed Yuuri away from his embrace. “Don’t ask that of me. Not like this…right now, this Yuuri…is not the Yuuri I want to disappear. I would keep this Yuuri, if I could.”

                Yuuri’s hands dropped to his sides, shoulders shaking as he looked down in defeat. “Why…” he whispered, “I’ve lived like this so long. All I want is to be able to end it, end this curse…”

                His sobs slowly subsided to silence; Viktor started to feel nervous once more when a soft giggle escaped the other man’s lips. Suddenly Yuuri’s head shot up, an anger filled grin upon his face.

                “You can’t end this, but I can end you-“

                Hands reached over the top of Viktor’s head from behind, grabbing Yuuri’s head and twisting it with a sickening crack.  As Yuuri’s body fell to the side in shock, Viktor felt himself being pulled at.

                “Get up.” It was Otabek. He helped Viktor stand and then shoved him out of the way.

                “H-how…?” Viktor looked back behind him where the other body had once laid. “I thought you were-“

                “Heard you guys coming, so I played dead.” Otabek went over to Yuuri’s body. “We have to kill him.”

                Kill him? No way; Viktor could not bring himself to do it. Even if it was what Yuuri wanted?

                “He’ll heal soon, right?” Otabek pulled a heavy duty pocket knife out of his jeans pocket. “Then we have to finish this now.”

                “How can you- there’s no way!” Viktor reached for the knife, frowning when Otabek held it out of reach. “You’re not a murderer, Otabek! Think of Yuri! What would he say?”

                Otabek stared back at him, as stony as ever. The man knew how to keep his emotions in check, but Viktor just knew he had to be feeling something towards this situation. “I don’t plan on telling him…”

                Yuuri was groaning on the ground, starting to push himself up and reach for his head to twist it back.  Otabek kicked him hard in the face, knocking him out for however short a time it may be.

                “Are you going to help me or not?”

                Viktor felt like he was going to be sick at the younger man’s question. This was not…surely they could just find their friends and leave, right? Yuuri would wake eventually and then…what, be left here to live alone once more?  Suffering for the rest of eternity, because he could no die, and was stuck with this insanity eating away at him?

                “Viktor.”

                “I can’t.” Viktor shook his head, turning away. “You do it. I don’t want to see this-“

                “See what?”

                Dread filled Viktor’s stomach as he heard the sing-song voice behind him.  He turned just in time to see Otabek’s body hit the ground, blood spilling out of the slash across his throat.  Yuuri was standing over the body, eying up the pocket knife that was now in his hand.

                “This thing is nifty, but I prefer working by hand…”

                How?! Viktor had only turned around for a few seconds! Had Yuuri healed that fast?!  As soon as Yuuri looked up at him, Viktor ran.


	13. Beat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viktor finds Yuri and they manage to get back to the caves, only to be met with another terrible fate...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...YEAH. This happens. 
> 
> Also, next chapter will probably be the last. :< Sorry it's taken so long to update. I'm so tired from work T^T I still have 3 more days before a proper day off.   
> As always, occasional updates at @katsuki1fan on twitter. Will be focusing mostly on The Dream God after this, though have written the first chapter for another YOI fic that'll also be lots of drama and stars mainly a salty Yurio and a funtastical Minami - and there will be a short fic attached to it for the pre-established Viktuuri pairing. BASICALLY I HAVE LOTS OF FUN PLANNED FOR YOU ALL!

His surroundings barely looked familiar to him; though the morning sunlight was really starting to shine through the tops of the trees above, making it easier to make note of things.

                Viktor had not added ‘running a marathon’ to his vacation activities list, but, by this point, he felt like he had definitely been running one.  He was afraid to stop and catch his breath – what were the chances that Yuuri had no need to do so while running, like a normal human?

                “VIKTORRRRRR!!!”

                “Eh?!” Viktor slowed himself down, turning and spotting his cousin running towards him. His heart sank.  “Yuri?! I told you to stay back at the cabin! It’s too dangerous out here!”

                Yuri stopped next to him, catching his breath. “Like hell I was going to sit around there begging to be murdered! I was trying to find my way back to the village. How are you still standing? And where’s Beka?”

                “I feel fine.” Viktor lied; his head was pounding and he felt ill, but he had to keep going.  His anxiety only grew at Yuri’s question about Otabek. How could he tell him the truth?

                “Otabek…ah, I- I lost him…somewhere…we got separated…” He was a coward; such a coward, and he couldn’t even look his cousin in the eye.

                Yuri’s eyes narrowed and he shifted the bags up on his thin shoulders that were sliding a ways. “You fucking lost my boyfriend?! Damn it!” He kicked a rock and glared. “You’re useless. Fine, scratch the village for now. We have to find Beka. What about the others?”

                “Sara’s dead; Yuuri got her…” Viktor told him, “before that we heard Mickey yelling for her, but we don’t know what happened to him. I got knocked out – I think by Yuuri running into me – and by the time we caught up with Sara, Yuuri had caught her and no one else was in sight. After that…we, uh, ran and then I lost Otabek…” 

                Well, that last part was not entirely the truth, but he had to fudge things a little if he wanted to keep Otabek’s death a secret for now.  Somehow he would find a way to tell Yuri, but…not yet.

                “Damn. Then…Emil and Sara are both gone for sure.” Yuri looked about. “Beka’s lost, we don’t know what’s up with Mickey…Georgi should be back at the village since he ditched on us. Lee ran off with Yuuri before, so who knows if he’s still alive or not. Phichit took off after them and either found them, or got lost too. Who’s left? Mila…”

                “Sara said that Mila fainted near the caves,” Viktor explained, “after Yuuri…bit Emil’s finger off in front of them. That’s when Sara and Mickey ran and were split up.”

                Yuri stared at him. “That’s fucked up.”

                “Standing in one place like this isn’t good…Yuuri was coming after me, which is why I was running.” Viktor told him, grabbing at Yuri’s arm and tugging. “We should go. He’s perfectly fine when he’s ‘normal’; in fact, I think he just wants all of this to end…somehow, but once he goes all insane…he’s unstoppable. I’ll explain it later, so-“

                “I read more of his stupid family book, so no need to explain.” Yuri followed him as they left at a brisk pace, keeping an eye out for Yuuri.  It was more unnerving _not_ knowing where Yuuri was.

                Neither of them was finding familiar landmarks, but eventually Yuri spotted something and pointed it out. “The path!”  It was indeed the path, or, at least, _a_ path.

                Wherever it led, it was heading somewhat downhill, and that was a good sign. They quickly followed it, getting more and more anxious as the lack of their pursuer nagged at the back of their minds. 

                Viktor was starting to feel dizzier, but he was afraid to mention it, knowing Yuri would yell at him for pushing himself. Not that his cousin would say it in such kind terms.  Even stopping for a few short seconds would be- oh, was that?

                “It’s the caves!” Viktor forgot his weakening state for a brief moment in his excitement.  There was their camp site, vacant and lonely, and the caves overlooked it; finally a familiar location. “Yuri, go back to the village and get us some help. I’m sure at least some of the villagers have to know their way around here-“

                “Huhhhh?!”

                “I’m not letting you get hurt, and you can run faster than I can right now.” Viktor pleaded. He had to keep his cousin safe, for Otabek. It was the least he could do. “Just follow that path back. It’ll be easy. Please…I-“

                “Fuck you!” Yuri grabbed him by the front of his coat. “This dumb vacation was your idea! And then we get dragged into this mess by those dumbasses and people are fucking _dying_ , Viktor! And now my boyfriend is lost, and he’s one of the only people I-“ he huffed, finally letting go of Viktor, “I’m not running off. You’re about to pass out anyway; you look like a fucking ghost.”

                “But the villagers…they can help…” Viktor was swaying on his feet. He knew he would not be able to make it back to the village on his own. They both could not head back though – someone had to continue searching for the others. Surely it would be easier now that it was lighter out?

                Yuri grabbed him by the arm, an annoyed look upon his face, as he dragged him over towards the cave opening. “We’ll hide in here for a short bit, until you can walk without collapsing on me. Don’t fucking protest either!”

                Viktor closed his mouth and nodded, allowing himself to be led into the caves. If this was how Yuri would try and care for him, it was enough.  They headed into the darkness of the main cave; the angle of the risen sun’s light barely brushing the entrance.

                “Shit…still too dark in here.” Yuri helped Viktor sit on the rocky ground. “Do you have your phone on you? Mine’s dead from playing games earlier back when Beka was sleeping.”

                “I think I have mine in my poc- eh?” Viktor had reached over to his coat pocket and, as he had turned his head, his eyes caught the dark, shadowy blob of something not too far next to them. “What is that, over there?”

                “Huh?” Yuri sounded confused, and annoyed. “Well, if we had some light, we would be able to tell, wouldn’t we?”

                Viktor sighed, ever used to his cousin’s sass. “Hold on a second…” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and was glad to see there was just enough battery life left to use the flashlight for a short bit.

                Course, given the course of the events from the past several hours, neither of them should have been too surprised at what sight awaited them. However, seeing Mila’s head staring up at them, an expression of horror frozen upon her lifeless face, was enough to send both fellas into panic.

                “Oh, fuck no!” Yuri stumbled back, shaking his head. “Where’s her fucking body?!”

                Viktor was trying really hard not to cry, but he was having difficulty in doing so.  Mila’s head was, indeed, unattached from her body.  As much as he did not want to, Viktor shone the light around the cave, immediately spotting the female’s sprawled out, mutilated corpse not too far from its head. Was this nightmare ever going to be over?

                “We’re getting the fuck outta here.” Yuri tugged Viktor to his feet.

                “Wait-“ Viktor tried to stand, but a rush of dizziness overtook him, causing him to collapse to his knees.

                “Get up! Geez, what is wrong with you?” Yuri grumbled, his voice shaky; he sounded frustrated, yet weak, like he was reaching some sort of breaking point. “Come on, Viktor…we can make it back to the village…”

                Viktor’s response was cut off by laughter at the cave entrance. Feeling cold, Viktor grabbed on to Yuri’s pants leg, trying to keep his self from fully passing out. Not now; if he passed out now he would not be able to protect his cousin. He would be letting down both Yuri’s grandpa, and Otabek.

                “I told her I only wanted to play hide and seek.” Yuuri spoke up as he approached slowly. “Looks like she lost her head over it after all…she forgot to hide.”

                “Bastard!” Yuri put himself between the approaching man and Viktor, who was trying to protest but was too weak to stand. “You’ve caused enough mess! Die already!”

                Yuuri laughed, slowly rocking his head from side to side with a smug grin on his face. “You know I can’t do that. How about you die for me instead, okay?”

                As he reached out to grab Yuri, Viktor found the strength he needed to get to his feet and shove Yuri out of the way. His cousin stumbled to the side, cursing him as he went. “Don’t touch him!” If it came down to either him or Yuri, Viktor would rather Yuri live. “Yuri, run, damn it- ack-!”

                Yuuri had him by the throat, squeezing just enough to slowly cut off his air. “Viktor…” he sang, grinning. “You know I’ll find him, in the end. I kept the souvenir his boyfriend lent me…maybe I’ll use it to end his life as well…it’s only fitting they go down together, right?”

                “What-?” Yuri gasped. “What do you mean ‘go down toge- is Beka dead? No…Viktor tell me he’s lying…Beka’s not dead!”

                It was impossible for Viktor to respond with Yuuri’s hand on his throat. A few stray tears slid down his face, and it was enough to give Yuri the answer he was dreading.  He had never seen his cousin cry before, but there was a first time for everything. Yuri’s choked sobs filled the large cave, joined only by the crazed laughter as Yuuri tugged Viktor closer to him by the throat.

                “I think we broke him…how exciting!” Yuuri gently pet Viktor’s hair, grinning. “Hey, tell him he doesn’t have to be sad long. He can join his sweetheart soon enough, once I’m done with you!”

                “You’re sick.” Viktor gasped out, wincing at the pain in his throat. He hated this side of Yuuri. If only there was a way to save him; the other Yuuri seemed like he could be very nice, and Viktor found him intriguing, but this horrible Yuuri was too much. He needed to go. If that meant destroying the innocent Yuuri alongside him, well…then, somehow it had to be done.  “I’m so- sorry…that you had…to live this life- Yuuri-“

                “Shut up!” Yuuri glared at him, before pouting a little. “We’re having fun, aren’t we? I am, I am! Now I’ll even be kind enough to let you join your friends! How should I end it? Maybe I’ll bleed you out, or, hm, eat you?”

                He dropped Viktor, whose legs gave out causing him to collapse to the cave floor. Viktor had no more strength in him to fight back. He felt weak, physically and mentally. If only they had someone to help them end this…

                “EAT THIS, ASSHOLE!”

                Viktor felt something swing above him and looked up in time to see his cousin swinging a good sized rock, in both hands, right into Yuuri’s face.  Yuuri stumbled back and Yuri used the brief moment of surprise to swipe the other man’s legs out from under him. As soon as he was down, Yuri started bashing him in the face repetitively with his weapon of choice, screaming the entire time.

                “Fuck you! This is for everyone! And those before, and this-“  When Yuuri tried to claw at his face, Yuri bit at his hands, grabbing one to break fingers, ignoring the fallen man’s screams of pain. It was like watching two wild animals attack one another, and Viktor could not look away, despite the terror and disgust that filled him; his brain was shutting down, and he was certain that the Yuuri his cousin was once more bashing to bits with his mini-boulder…it was now the nervous, scared Yuuri from before. Did he realize what was going to happen? That he was most likely finally going to die?

                “THIS IS FOR BEKA!” Yuri finally threw his weapon aside, getting to his feet and kicking what remained intact of Yuuri’s head. Parts flew in a bloodied, gooey mess. Viktor vomited.

                That had to be it.  There was nothing left of Yuuri’s head that could be salvaged; there was no way he could heal himself now, right?

                Yuri screamed, collapsing to the ground as he held his face in his bloodied hands, sobbing from his rage and heartbreak.  Hearing his cousin crying like that was something Viktor never wanted to experience ever again. He tried to hold a hand out, reaching for Yuri, wanting to comfort him somehow now that the horror was finally over, but…everything was starting to waver in front of his eyes. Spots were filling his vision, and when he tried to get up the entire world shifted and he fell over, passing out.


	14. Silence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of that night lingers, leaving what remained of their group to cope and find a way to move on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huzzah for the end of the holiday weekend! T^T I'd been so busy and tired lately, I had no motivation to really write.  
> Also, I reaaaally suck at finishing a story. Like, I get going and going, and then the end comes and I'm sitting here like 'durrrrrrr' <_< so hopefully it doesn't suck. 
> 
> Big thanks to everyone who stuck with me through this one! My first complete YOI fic! Heck, my first completed fanfic in ages to be honest. I'll throw all my focus onto 'The Dream God' now, and try to keep updating everyone through twitter (@katsuki1fan).  
> Now on to the ending of this sad, horrific tale!

Someone was shaking Viktor awake. The blurred figure crouching over him, as he opened his eyes, startled him and he screamed. There was a foul taste in his mouth, from throwing up earlier, and he gagged on air as he choked.

                “Hey, hey, it’s okay, kid!” It was only a medic, a middle-aged fellow.  Viktor turned his head and caught a brief glimpse of a blanket covered body, before the medic was gently turning his head back. “It’s over, son, don’t look. Let’s get you out of here, okay? Can you stand?”

                Viktor had to look around though. His eyes scanned the dimly lit cave frantically. There were officers with flashlights looking about; a few crowded around the covered body… _Yuuri’s_ body.

                “Where’s Yuri?” He questioned, sounding panicked. “Where’s my cousin?!”

                “He’s fine.” The medic responded, helping him sit up slowly. “We have him on his way back to the village. Poor kid was hysterical, all the rest are…”

                The rest? Who else was left? Had Michele been found? Phichit? Lee? Georgi?  Viktor allowed himself to be helped up and led out of the caves. It was hard to resist glancing back; knowing that what was left of Yuuri was still laying there.

                By all rights, Viktor should hate him. Yuuri had killed so many of his friends that past night, but…there was a part of him that could not hate the other man, because he knew it was not entirely Yuuri’s fault. The poor soul had not asked to be born with that curse. He had been dealt a bad hand, and so many others had suffered due to it, as had Yuuri himself. Viktor’s heart broke for him, and he could only hope that Yuuri had finally gotten what he wanted – a chance to move on, now that everything was all over for him.  And, maybe, in another life, they would meet again and things would be different. He wanted to see that beautiful smile of a calm, sane Yuuri once again…

                The trip back to the village dragged; once leaving the caves, Viktor had been set on a stretcher to be carried back. It was not the most comfortable trip he had experienced, but his legs were too shaky to get him the whole way back. Plus his head was still woozy, and the medics were concerned about his head wound, which the blood had dried around.

                There was no hospital in the village, so what remained of their group was transferred to the nearest hospital. Viktor was feeling extra anxious, because he had yet to see his cousin, and he felt awful knowing it was partially his fault that Otabek had gotten involved in this nightmare of a vacation.  Once they reached the hospital, he threw a fit until he was allowed to see Yuri.  As soon as he entered the room, however, he was assaulted by thrown pillows and Yuri screaming at him to get out.

                Michele was the first to visit Viktor in his room. The young Italian man looked exhausted, with dark circles under his deadened eyes.  Neither of them knew what to say at first.

                “No one’s really told me anything…” Viktor finally spoke, “but they said you helped them find us.”

                The other man nodded, sitting down on the chair in his room. “After running from the camp…I lost Sara. We were all so lost…but I decided I wasn’t going to give up. I found the camp again, and then ran off to start calling for my sister, in hopes she wasn’t too far away. I finally heard her, but then there was screaming…I knew she had been caught. And I-“ his voice caught, a desperate look upon his face, “I was such a coward! I ran away! Emil was gone, and then Sara…I had no idea where anyone else was. The only thing left for me to do was take Emil’s body and head back to the village. The hotel owner immediately called for authorities and medics as I explained what was going on…”

                “Georgi…?”

                Michele shook his head. “Never made it back, I’m sorry. They found his body further from the campsite…uh, Lee’s was not too far from it, but I won’t mention the states they were in.  Some of the authorities found Phichit wandering in a feverish state elsewhere. He’s, um, well…when he saw Lee’s body back at the village he sort of lost it. I haven’t been allowed to visit him yet, because he’s not talking.”

                “I know what happened to Mila, and Sara, and…Otabek…” Viktor’s eyes were tearing up again, his heart heavy with grief. “Yuri…”

                “Yeah…he’s not taking it well.” Michele nodded. “All of our families have been contacted. The authorities collected our stuff from the hotel yesterday. It’s…things aren’t going to- to be right for a long time, Viktor…” He hid his face in his hands, muffling his sobs.

                Almost their entire group was gone. Only Michele, Yuri, Phichit, and he were left. How were they to cope? Viktor was feeling sick to his stomach again, trying not to vomit as the events of that dreadful night ran through his mind over and over.  Michele was right – things were not going to be okay for a very long time.

 

* * *

 

                They kept one another’s contact info, as Michele was returning to his family in Italy and Phichit was heading back to Thailand for some heavy therapy.  The journalist was completely silent, having lost himself to the reality of the situation.  Viktor had only managed to get a brief hug from him, noting the other man’s cell phone screen was cracked heavily as he tried to type in Viktor’s number with shaking fingers. Had that happened out in the woods or in a brief moment of rage, while shut up in his hospital room?

                Yuri was tapping his foot impatiently as goodbyes were said, his arms crossed tightly against his chest. He was wearing Otabek’s jacket, his jaw clenched tight as he stared dead ahead.  Viktor hated seeing him even angrier than was normal for the teen, and he knew Yuri’s grandpa – who had flown out to fetch them - had already planned to arrange for him to see a therapist upon their return to Russia.

                From what Viktor had learned, after he had fainted, Yuri had not stopped with ridding them of Yuuri as best he could. The teen had used his dead boyfriend’s knife to cut the other man apart in a blind rage.  Yuuri’s body had been removed from the cave, in pieces, to be identified. Not that they would get any real results back from someone who had been alive a little over 120 years.

                The surviving members of their group had all been questioned individually about the deaths, and of Yuuri’s presence. There was no way they could tell officers the man they had run into in the woods was someone who had been living for that long. Each of them had come out saying only that they had run into the guy, who had come off as semi-friendly at first, but then turned on them not long after.  Still quietly surprised that the legend had been true, the hotel owner was kind enough to tell the officers that Yuuri was indeed a sort of hermit who had lived out in the woods, far from the village. Only Phichit had not contributed to the telling of that night, but Viktor had a feeling he might read about it one day…long in the future.

                The flight back to Russia felt like it would never end. Viktor was looking forward to shutting himself up in his room with Makkachin for a long while. As he stared blankly out the window, he felt Yuri lean against him in a rare moment of seeking comfort. Tears soaked Viktor’s shoulder, but he did not move.  Out of all of them, Viktor felt like he may have lost the least that night, and the most he could do now was be there for his cousin, in whatever way necessary.

                When he finally crawled into his own bed, he hid under the blankets with his dog, drowning out the world with his headphones.  Waking to darkness caused him a brief moment of terror and he ran for the light, like a little kid afraid of what might be hiding in the closet.  Crawling back into bed, hugging Makkachin close, he laid there in silence for hours till daylight hit his curtains. And as he finally started to drift off again, he almost could hear the soft, remembered voice calling ‘ _Viktor_ ’ in his ear.  

 

* * *

 

                Three years later, Viktor receives a package in the mail.  The return address was from Thailand, and he recognized Phichit’s name written in poor handwriting.  Feeling the old memories crawling back to the surface, he quickly tore it open. Out tumbled a letter, and the copy of a magazine. All the articles were written in Thai, but Phichit had translated it and typed it out, having attached the translated copy to his letter.

 

                _‘Viktor,_

_I am sorry it’s taken me so long to contact you, or the other two. Losing Lee…he was my everything, and I could not cope. I’ve spent the past three years trying to move past that night, while still keeping everyone, who was lost, in my thoughts. This article…it did not come about the way I wanted it to, but I still decided to write it, because our story, and Yuuri’s story, needed to be told.  I am so, so, so sorry about what happened. It was partially my fault for dragging you all along in my excitement.  None of what happened was ever my intention.  I…so, I hope you can forgive me one day.  Please thank your cousin for me too; he sent me the Katsuki family book to use for this article. I’m going to return it to the village soon, where it belongs.  Maybe one day we can see one another again, yeah?_

_Again, I am truly sorry,_

_Phichit’_

 

                Setting the letter aside, Viktor flipped through the magazine to the article, recognizing it from the pictures of the cave Phichit had taken.  Any pictures featuring members of their group had had the faces censored, and all their names were omitted, for privacy sake.  Finally setting the magazine aside, Viktor turned to the translated copy, settling down to read what, he knew, would bring back the horrible feelings from before. It was alright though; he could do this, and maybe it would give him some closure, maybe.  The title at the top of the page was none too flashy, but it caught his attention right away, drawing him in to get lost in the familiar story, the legend that he now belonged.

                ‘ _His name was Yuuri…_ ’


End file.
